pregnancy - MGH Center for Women's Mental Health

When Health Care Providers Say the Wrong Thing

With increasing frequency, postpartum women who have taken antidepressants during pregnancy have shared – usually in tears – that while in the hospital for their labor and delivery hospitalization, a health care provider at the hospital said something judgmental about their being on an antidepressant. For example, one woman said that a nurse told her, “I can’t believe you took that during pregnancy.” Or, “Don’t you know how risky that is?!” Or “How could you do that to your baby?” This is often in the context of women using other medications in parallel for non-psychiatric indications, of which less may be known about the reproductive safety profile, but not addressed by the health care provider.

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2015-08-12T16:30:09-04:00April 14th, 2010|Contraception, General|Comments Off

Acupuncture for the Treatment of Depression During Pregnancy

Depression during pregnancy is relatively common, affecting about 10 to 15% of women. While there is a growing body of literature supporting the reproductive safety of certain antidepressants, many women and their physicians would prefer to avoid the use of these medications during pregnancy; thus, there is a clear need for effective non-pharmacologic treatments for women who suffer from depression during pregnancy.

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2015-08-12T16:16:02-04:00February 23rd, 2010|Alternative & Complementary, Depressive Disorders, Psychiatric Disorders During Pregnancy, Treatment|Comments Off

Prenatal Use of Atypical Antipsychotics: Effect on Birth Weight

Atypical antipsychotic medications are commonly used for the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Despite the increasing use of these medications in women of child-bearing age, there is still relatively little data addressing the reproductive safety of these medications.

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2015-08-12T15:37:11-04:00January 25th, 2010|Antipsychotic Medications, Outcomes, Pregnancy & Medications, Pregnancy Outcomes|Comments Off

Intrauterine Cannabis Exposure Affects Fetal Growth

Although the risks of smoking tobacco while pregnant are well documented and well publicized to the general population, women continue to smoke cigarettes during pregnancy. Smoking cigarettes is known to increase a woman's risk of having a low-birth weight baby and increases the risk of preterm delivery. While clinicians often ask about and discourage tobacco use during pregnancy, much less attention has been devoted to the use of marijuana during pregnancy, despite the fact that marijuana is the most commonly consumed illicit drug among pregnant women.

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2015-08-12T15:33:51-04:00January 21st, 2010|Cannabis, Outcomes, Perinatal Substance Use, Pregnancy Outcomes|Comments Off

Use of the Emsam Patch (Selegiline) in Pregnancy

A clinician asks: "Is there any data on the use of the Emsam patch in pregnancy?"

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2015-08-12T15:27:21-04:00December 14th, 2009|Antidepressants, Pregnancy & Medications|Comments Off

Panic Disorder Increases the Risk of Adverse Birth Outcomes

Anxiety often results in the activation of the sympathetic nervous system. This activation is commonly known as the “fight or flight response”; symptoms may include increased heart rate, shortness of breath, perspiration, chest pain, and nausea or diarrhea. Activation of the fight or flight response is also associated with the activation of numerous other responses in the body, including the production of various stress hormones, including cortisol.

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2015-08-12T15:26:31-04:00December 8th, 2009|Anxiety Disorders, Outcomes, Pregnancy Outcomes, Psychiatric Disorders During Pregnancy|Comments Off

SSRIs and PPHN: A Review of the Data

In 2006, Chambers and colleagues published an article linking SSRI use during late pregnancy to an increased risk of persistent pulmonary hypertension in the newborn (PPHN). Since that time, several other reports have been published which have examined the association between SSRI antidepressants and PPHN. Here is a summary of the findings to date:

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2015-08-12T15:21:36-04:00November 10th, 2009|Antidepressants, Neonatal Symptoms, Outcomes, Pregnancy & Medications|Comments Off

New Research: Treatment Decisions by Pregnant Women with Bipolar Disorder

Choosing whether to maintain or discontinue mood stabilizer treatment during pregnancy requires weighing the risks of teratogenic outcomes associated with exposure to a particular drug against the risks of recurrence of untreated affective illness. However, [...]

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2016-03-28T13:23:58-04:00September 19th, 2009|Bipolar Disorder, Psychiatric Disorders During Pregnancy, Treatment|Comments Off

Lamotrigine and Pregnancy: An Update

While anticonvulsants, such as lamotrigine (Lamictal), topiramate (Topamax), and gabapentin (Neurontin), are being used with increasing regularity for the treatment of women with bipolar disorder, we have limited information with respect to the reproductive safety of the newer anticonvulsant agents. In 2006, we reported on preliminary data indicating an increased risk of oral clefts among infants exposed to lamotrigine during the first trimester of pregnancy.

By Ruta Nonacs, MD PhD|2025-06-26T09:07:11-04:00August 25th, 2009|Anti-Epileptic Drugs, Mood Stabilizers, Outcomes, Pregnancy & Medications|Comments Off

What Would You Do? A Pregnant Women on Duloxetine (Cymbalta)

Ms. A is a 27-year-old woman who is seven weeks pregnant and is currently taking duloxetine (Cymbalta). She has a history of recurrent major depressive disorder (MDD) and has had a good response to duloxetine at 60 mg per day. She has had four previous episodes of major depressive disorder (most untreated) and has been in remission for one year. Past episodes have lasted up to six months and caused difficulty with functioning at work and in relationships, although she was not diagnosed and treated until one year ago.

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2015-08-12T14:50:32-04:00June 29th, 2009|Antidepressants, Pregnancy & Medications|Comments Off