Weekly Roundup for FEBRUARY 5, 2021: Recent Publications in Women’s Mental Health

Every week we review the most recent publications in women’s mental health, covering topics related to premenstrual symptoms, perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, use of medications in pregnant and breastfeeding women, perinatal substance use, and menopausal mental health.

For more detailed descriptions of many of these topics, you can sign up to receive our weekly CWMH NEWSLETTER which comes out every Thursday.

Ruta Nonacs, MD PhD

PMS AND PMDD

No articles this week

INFERTILITY AND MENTAL HEALTH

No articles this week

PSYCHIATRIC ILLNESS DURING PREGNANCY

Acute postoperative pain is correlated with the early onset of postpartum depression after cesarean section: a retrospective cohort study.

Shen D, Hasegawa-Moriyama M, Ishida K, Fuseya S, Tanaka S, Kawamata M. J Anesth. 2020 Aug;34(4):607-612.

Independent risk factors for the onset of PPD were being a primipara (adjusted odds ratio or aOR, 2.08; preoperative presence of chronic pain (OR 4.44), and post-operative pain on day 3 (aOR, 4.9).

Parental ADHD in pregnancy and the postpartum period – A systematic review.

Kittel-Schneider S, Quednow BB, Leutritz AL, McNeill RV, Reif A. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2021 Jan 28. Review.

MEDICATIONS AND PREGNANCY

Is Valproate Reasonable?

Leistikow N, Smith MH, Payne JL, Osborne LM. Am J Psychiatry 2021.

Why the Maternal Medication List Matters: Neonatal Toxicity From Combined Serotonergic Exposures.

Brajcich MR, Palau MA, Messer RD, Murphy ME, Marks J. Pediatrics. 2021 Feb;147(2):e20192250.

Case report highlights why neonatal providers should be aware of maternal medications and prepare for possible adverse effects.

POSTPARTUM PSYCHIATRIC ILLNESS

Population-Based Assessment of the Recurrence Risk of Postpartum Mental Disorders: Will It Happen Again?

Munk-Olsen T, Ingstrup KG, Johannsen BM, Liu X. JAMA Psychiatry. 2020 Feb 1;77(2):213-214.

After the second delivery, the recurrence risk of a postpartum psychiatric episode for women who had PPMDs after their first delivery was 25.5%

Breastfeeding Difficulties Predict Mothers’ Bonding with Their Infants from Birth to Age Six Months.

Roth MC, Humphreys KL, King LS, Gotlib IH, Robakis TK. Matern Child Health J. 2021 Feb 2.

Mothers who experience breastfeeding difficulties are at risk for reduced bonding with their infants in the first 6 months after birth. Moreover, while postnatal depressive symptoms are also associated with reduced bonding, the effect of breastfeeding difficulties on bonding persists over and above the effect of postnatal depressive symptoms.

MEDICATIONS AND BREASTFEEDING

Lithium from breast-milk inhibits thyroid iodine uptake and hormone production, which are remedied by maternal iodine supplementation.

Ahmed I, Ma V, Liu Y, Khan MS, Liu Z, Zhang C, Paidi SK, Manno FAM, Amjad N, Manno SHC, Ahmed R, Law AWL, Ali A, Raza F, Zhang Y, Cho WC, Barman I, Alda M, Bergink V, Lau C. Bipolar Disord. 2021 Jan 28.

In this animal study, pups exposed to lithium via breastmilk, even with the mother shows sub-therapeutic lithium levels, experienced weight gain, reduced blood thyroxine (T4 ), and elevated blood urea nitrogen, indicating effects on thyroid and kidney function.

PERINATAL SUBSTANCE USE

Prenatal Cannabinoid Exposure: Emerging Evidence of Physiological and Neuropsychiatric Abnormalities.

Nashed MG, Hardy DB, Laviolette SR. Front Psychiatry. 2021 Jan 14;11:624275. Free article.

Pathways from Maternal Adverse Childhood Experiences to Substance Use in Pregnancy: Findings from the All Our Families Cohort.

Racine N, McDonald S, Chaput K, Tough S, Madigan S. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2021 Feb 1.

Exposure to adversity in childhood can lead to socioeconomic and mental health difficulties that increase risk for substance use in pregnancy.

MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH AND CHILD OUTCOMES

Accidental injury, self-injury and assault among children of women with schizophrenia: a population-based cohort study.

Taylor CL, Brown HK, Saunders NR, Barker LC, Chen S, Cohen E, Dennis CL, Ray JG, Vigod SN Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2021 Jan 27.

The elevated risk of child injury associated with maternal schizophrenia, especially for self-injury and assault, suggests that targeted monitoring and preventive interventions are warranted.

Maternal Perinatal and Concurrent Anxiety and Mental Health Problems in Early Childhood: A Sibling-Comparison Study.

Gjerde LC, Eilertsen EM, Eley TC, McAdams TA, Reichborn-Kjennerud T, Røysamb E, Ystrom E. Child Dev. 2020 Mar;91(2):456-470.

Maternal pre- and postnatal anxiety were no longer associated with child internalizing or externalizing problems after adjusting for maternal depression and familial confounding. Maternal anxiety when the children were in preschool age, however, remained significantly associated with child internalizing but not externalizing problems.

MENOPAUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH

No articles this week