Clinical Update 2019: Lithium and Pregnancy
While the use of lithium has been in decline over the last 20 years, lithium continues to be a useful and highly effective mood stabilizer for women with bipolar disorder. We have long been aware [...]
In Brief: Increased Use of Cannabis During Pregnancy, But Little Data on Reproductive Safety
Despite decreasing rates of alcohol and tobacco use during pregnancy, the use of cannabis use during pregnancy is on the rise. Â According to data collected from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the [...]
Nearly 12% of Women Report Consuming Alcohol During Pregnancy
While different countries may have different attitudes toward the consumption of alcohol during pregnancy, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has taken a firm stand against the use of alcohol during pregnancy. In the report [...]
Treatment of Panic Disorder with Antidepressants Associated with Better Outcomes
While we have focused a great deal on the emergence of mood disorders during pregnancy and the postpartum period, there is a growing body of literature that indicates that anxiety symptoms are prevalent during this [...]
Pregnant Women in the US: Less Alcohol and Cigarettes, More Pot
Using data from the National Survey of Drug Use and Health between 2002 and 2016, researchers sought to study changes in the use of alcohol, cigarette, and cannabis during pregnancy in a nationally representative sample [...]
Pregnancy Outcomes in Women with Bipolar Disorder
In treating pregnant women with mood or anxiety disorders, we tend to focus primarily on the reproductive safety of psychotropic medications; however, it must be recognized that withholding or withdrawing pharmacologic treatment for depression or [...]
Fertility Treatment More Common in Women with Bulimia Nervosa
Menstrual irregularities, including amenorrhea, are common among women with eating disorders. Â Given the menstrual abnormalities, there has been concern that women with eating disorders might be less likely to conceive naturally. A recent study has [...]
Valproic Acid: Highlighting Risk and Modifying Prescribing Patterns in Reproductive Age Women
For clinicians who have not yet discovered the incredibly thoughtful and clinically practical monthly articles from Chittaranjan Andrade in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, it’s time to take a look.  (Not only are these articles [...]
Cannabis and Pregnancy: Â What the Dispensary Might Tell You
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, here is another post about the use of marijuana during pregnancy. Â There are several reasons we keep coming back to this issue. There has been a [...]
Fetal Alcohol Disorders More Common Tnan Previously Thought
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) refers to a constellation of disorders resulting from prenatal exposure to alcohol; the manifestations include birth defects, developmental disabilities, and neurological and behavioral problems. Prenatal alcohol exposure is the most [...]