St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) is an herbal preparation which has been shown, in some studies, to be effective for the treatment of mild to moderate depressive symptoms. St. John's wort is now one of the most commonly used herbal products in the United States and is widely used in Europe.
We commonly see women in our consultation service who have histories of depression and are planning pregnancy. They frequently have questions about alternative treatments for depression while pregnant. Given that many women are taking omega-3 fatty acids prior to pregnancy, the question arises whether they should discontinue them during pregnancy. An additional question is whether omega-3 fatty acids can be used instead of antidepressants for the treatment of depression during pregnancy.
Many women experience some degree of sleep disturbance during pregnancy. For a significant number of women, the sleep disruption may be so severe as to require some type of intervention. In a previous post, we discussed the use of different types of medications to treat insomnia during pregnancy. While these drugs are highly effective, many women with sleep problems inquire about the use of "natural" agents, such as melatonin, during pregnancy.
One treatment that has recently received a great deal of interest lately is fish oil. There is some preliminary evidence to suggest that the omega-3 fatty acids contained in fish and fish oil, including eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA), have an antidepressant effect. It has been discovered that mothers selectively transfer DHA to their baby during pregnancy and through the breast milk to support neurological development in the developing child. Thus, child-bearing women may become depleted of DHA, and it has been hypothesized that DHA deficiency may make mothers more vulnerable to depression during the postpartum period.
A few weeks ago, January 7-13, 2008, was National Folic Acid Awareness Week at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), therefore we wanted to take the opportunity to remind women of the importance of folic acid in the prevention of birth defects. Folic acid can prevent from 50-70% of neural tube defects, which are defects of the spine (spina bifida) or the skull (anencephaly). Spina bifida is the leading cause of childhood paralysis and anencephaly is nearly always fatal.
Many promote the use of certain vitamins and minerals for the treatment of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), but controlled studies supporting the use of nutritional supplements are sparse.
