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.

And don’t forget to visit ESSENTIAL READS – a curated selection of up-to-date and clinically relevant articles in women’s mental health.

Ruta Nonacs, MD PhD

 

PMS AND PMDD

No articles this week

 

INFERTILITY AND MENTAL HEALTH

No articles this week

 

PSYCHIATRIC ILLNESS DURING PREGNANCY

A Review: Integrative Perspectives on the Features and Clinical Management of Psychotic Episodes in Pregnancy.

Ortega MA, Pekarek T, Fraile-Martinez O, García-Montero C, Pekarek L, Rodriguez-Martín S, Funes Moñux RM, Bravo C, De León-Luis JA, Lahera G, Monserrat J, Quintero J, Bujan J, García-Honduvilla N, Álvarez-Mon M, Alvarez-Mon MA. J Clin Med. 2023 Jan 13;12(2):656.


Joint effects of recent stressful life events and adverse childhood experiences on perinatal comorbid anxiety and depression.

Hou Y, Shang M, Yu X, Gu Y, Li H, Lu M, Jiang M, Zhen H, Zhu B, Tao F. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2023 Jan 18;23(1):41.


This study demonstrated independent associations of recent SLEs and their joint effects with ACEs with risks of perinatal comorbid anxiety and depression.. SLEs combined with ACEs should be recognized as a major risk factor for perinatal anxiety and depression and managed at the earliest time to prevent perinatal anxiety and depression.

 

MEDICATIONS AND PREGNANCY

Atomoxetine in Early Pregnancy and the Prevalence of Major Congenital Malformations: A Multi ational Study.

Bröms G, Hernandez-Diaz S, Huybrechts KF, Bateman BT, Kristiansen EB, Einarsdóttir K, Engeland A, Furu K, Gissler M, Karlsson P, Klungsøyr K, Lahesmaa-Korpinen AM, Mogun H, Nørgaard M, Reutfors J, Sørensen HT, Zoega H, Kieler H. J Clin Psychiatry. 2023 Jan 16;84(1):22m14430.

In a total of 990 exposed infants, first trimester exposure to atomoxetine was not associated with an increased risk for major congenital malformation.

 

POSTPARTUM PSYCHIATRIC ILLNESS

Feasibility of online mindfulness-based interventions for families affected with postpartum depression and anxiety: study protocol.

Tabi K, Bhullar M, Fantu L, Shulman B, Dueck R, Hippman C, Ryan D, Stewart SE. BMJ Open. 2022 Sep 7;12(9):e051935.


Assessment of childbirth-related post traumatic stress disorder in Australian mothers: Psychometric properties of the City Birth Trauma Scale.

Fameli AL, Costa DSJ, Coddington R, Hawes DJ. J Affect Disord. 2023 Mar 1;324:559-565.

This study suggests that the City Birth Trauma Scale (BiTS) is a valid and reliable measure of childbirth-related PTSD, suited for use in postpartum populations.


The effect of low-dose esketamine on pain and post-partum depression after cesarean section: A prospective, randomized, double-blind clinical trial.

Shen J, Song C, Lu X, Wen Y, Song S, Yu J, Sun J. Front Psychiatry. 2023 Jan 4;13:1038379.

A single intravenous injection of 0.25 mg/kg esketamine did not reduce the incidence of depression at 1, 2, or 4 weeks postpartum but improved pain during exercise at 24 h post-operatively.


Depression and anxiety disorders during the postpartum period in women diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Andersson A, Garcia-Argibay M, Viktorin A, Ghirardi L, Butwicka A, Skoglund C, Madsen KB, D’onofrio BM, Lichtenstein P, Tuvblad C, Larsson H. J Affect Disord. 2023 Jan 18:S0165-0327(23)00085-X.

A total of 16.76 % of the women with ADHD were diagnosed with depression during the postpartum period, with a prevalence ratio (PR) 5.09 (95 % CI,, 4.68-5.54). Women with ADHD were also at increased risk for postpartum anxiety; 25% of the women with ADHD were diagnosed with anxiety disorders in the postpartum period, PR 5.41 (5.06-5.78).


Experiences of Mental Health Care Among Women Treated for Postpartum Psychosis in England: A Qualitative Study.

Roxburgh E, Morant N, Dolman C, Johnson S, Taylor BL. Community Ment Health J. 2023 Feb;59(2):243-252.

The relationship between body dissatisfaction and postpartum depressive symptoms: A cross-sectional study.

Chen ML, Chang SR. J Affect Disord. 2023 Mar 1;324:418-423.

The prevalence of postpartum depressive symptoms among postpartum women was 40 % while 12.1 % of the women had thoughts of self-harm. Body dissatisfaction was associated with increased risk for postpartum depression.

 

MEDICATIONS AND BREASTFEEDING

No articles this week

 

PERINATAL SUBSTANCE USE

No articles this week

 

MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH AND CHILD OUTCOMES

Prenatal depressive symptoms and childhood development of brain limbic and default mode network structure.

Donnici C, Long X, Reynolds J, Giesbrecht GF, Dewey D, Letourneau N, Huo Y, Landman B, Lebel C. Hum Brain Mapp. 2023 Jan 24.

Higher prenatal depressive symptoms in the third trimester were associated with slower age-related changes in limbic global efficiency and average node degree across childhood.


Responding to distressed infants: Does mothers’ positive versus negative affect matter for infants’ behavior and physiology?

Maier MS, Goodman SH, McElwee PD. Infant Behav Dev. 2023 Feb;70:101798.

When mothers responded to their distressed infants with negative affect versus positive affect, infants spent significantly more time in negative affect, their intensity of expressed negative affect was greater, and their respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) withdrawal was greater, suggesting that mothers’ display of mild positive affect when infants are distressed may be helpful for infants.


The effect of maternal hypertension and maternal mental illness on adverse neonatal outcomes: A mediation and moderation analysis in a U.S. cohort of 9 million pregnancies.

Raina J, Elgbeili G, Montreuil T, Nguyen TV, Beltempo M, Kusuma D, Tulandi T, Dayan N, Bahroen FY, Caccese C, Badageish A, Suarthana E. J Affect Disord. 2023 Jan 16:S0165-0327(23)00062-9.

This study suggests that women with anxiety are more likely to have hypertensive disorder of pregnancy (HDP), and HDP mediates the associations between anxiety and adverse neonatal outcomes. Depression moderates associations between HDP and preterm birth but not between HDP and small for gestational age.


Maternal prenatal psychological distress and motor/cognitive development in two-year-old offspring: The Japan Environment and Children’s Study.

Mori M, Nishigori T, Ogata Y, Suzuki T, Sato A, Murata T, Kyozuka H, Yamaguchi A, Metoki H, Shinohara Y, Takahashi T, Shinoki K, Hosoya M, Fujimori K, Yasumura S, Hashimoto K, Goto A, Nishigori H; Japan Environment and Children’s Study Group. J Dev Orig Health Dis. 2023 Jan 18:1-13.

Continuous maternal psychological distress from the first to the second half of pregnancy was associated with lower motor and verbal cognitive development in male offspring and lower verbal cognitive development in female offspring at 2 years compared with the group without persistent maternal prenatal psychological distress.


Prenatal maternal depression predicts neural maturation and negative emotion in infants.

Kling JL, Mistry-Patel S, Peoples SG, Caldera DR, Brooker RJ. Infant Behav Dev. 2023 Feb;70:101802.

After controlling for postpartum symptoms of depression, more prenatal symptoms of depression in mothers predicted less neural maturation in the parietal region of 4-month-old infants. Less neural maturation, in turn, was associated with greater infant negativity, suggesting neural maturation as a putative mechanism linking maternal symptoms of depression with infant outcomes.

 

MENOPAUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH

No articles this week

 

OTHER TOPICS IN WOMEN’S MENTAL HEALTH

Adverse childhood experiences and hormonal contraception: Interactive impact on sexual reward function.

Novick AM, Stoddard J, Johnson RL, Duffy KA, Berkowitz L, Costa VD, Sammel MD, Epperson CN. PLoS One. 2023 Jan 17;18(1):e0279764.

Side effects with hormonal contraceptives may be modulated by adverse childhood experiences.


The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on infant development and maternal mental health in the first 2 years of life.

Sperber JF, Hart ER, Troller-Renfree SV, Watts TW, Noble KG. Infancy. 2023 Jan;28(1):107-135.

This study found no association between duration of pandemic exposure in the first year of life and infant socioemotional problems, infant language development, or maternal mental health and perceived stress symptoms, at 12 or 24 months. However, they found that self-reported exposure to pandemic-related disruptive life events predicted greater maternal depression, anxiety, and perceived stress at 12 months, and greater depression and anxiety at 24 months.

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