While we know that PTSD is about twice as common in women as men, most PTSD research has focused on PTSD in men, most commonly male veterans. A recent study, reviewed in Medscape, evaluated [...]
Early pregnancy loss (EPL) is common, affecting up to 25% of pregnancies. Studies looking at the emotional consequences of miscarriage have shown that most women do well; however, some women experience clinically significant symptoms of [...]
Childbirth fear has been studied in Scandinavian countries for more than three decades; however, it has received less attention in other countries. In Australia, Toohill and colleagues reported high levels of childbirth fear, as measured [...]
Perinatal loss is a traumatic event for women and their families. While we clearly understand the potential for perinatal loss to cause significant emotional consequences, we have little data on the prevalence of depressive [...]
While we are becoming more attentive to screening for depressive symptoms during pregnancy and the postpartum period, we may not always ask about stressful life events, especially when a woman has had what most would [...]
Having a newborn child in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is understandably stressful. Previous studies have demonstrated that mothers in this setting are at increased risk for postpartum depression (PPD). In addition, a recent [...]
Various studies have observed an association between history of abuse and increased risk for perinatal depression. The data regarding childhood sexual abuse (CSA) in particular have been less consistent. A recent review of the literature [...]
Two recent reports explore the relationship between abuse and risk for perinatal depression. The first is a study which analyzed data from 53,065 pregnant women participating in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa). [...]
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is relatively common among pregnant and postpartum women. The lifetime prevalence of PTSD for women is about 10%. PTSD is most prevalent among women of childbearing age and PTSD symptoms are common during pregnancy. Earlier this year, we reported on a study which observed that women with a diagnosis of PTSD had an increased risk of preterm birth. The risk was particularly high in those women with diagnoses of both PTSD and a major depressive episode; these women had a 4-fold increased risk of preterm birth.
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is relatively common among pregnant and postpartum women. The lifetime prevalence of PTSD for women is about 10%, with one-third of episodes lasting more than five years. Given the relatively high [...]
