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.
To receive more detailed descriptions of many of these topics delivered straight to your email, you can sign up to receive our weekly CWMH NEWSLETTER which comes out every Thursday.
Happy Reading!
Ruta Nonacs, MD PhD
PMS AND PMDD
No articles this week
INFERTILITY AND MENTAL HEALTH
No articles this week
PSYCHIATRIC ILLNESS DURING PREGNANCY
Exposure Therapy for Perinatal OCD: Navigating Evidence and Discomfort.
Vanderkruik R, Falkenstein MJ, Abramowitz JS. J Clin Psychiatry. 2025 Nov 17;87(1):25l16145.
Despite its well-established efficacy, exposure and response prevention (ERP) remains underutilized in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) during pregnancy and the postpartum. In addition to limited access to trained providers, discomfort and misconceptions about the treatment or its appropriateness in the perinatal population may pose barriers. This article addresses questions regarding the use of ERP as a stand-alone first-line monotherapy for perinatal OCD.
Issues and Considerations for ADHD Treatment in Pregnancy and Beyond.
Dr. Ali Baker discusses the treatment of ADHD during pregnancy.
Association between antepartum depressive symptoms and prenatal care utilization and milestones: a retrospective cohort study.
The odds of completing third trimester milestones including glucose tolerance testing (OR [95% CI] 0.60 [0.36–0.98]) and group B streptococcus testing (OR 0.56 [0.33–0.95]) were lower among individuals who screened positive for depressive symptoms. Less than half of individuals who were referred to mental health services successfully completed consultations during pregnancy.
New-Onset Mental Illness Among Gestational Carriers.
Velez MP, Dayan N, Vigod SN, Buckett W, Flatt S, Shellenberger J, Ray JG. Obstet Gynecol Surv. 2026 Jan 1;81(1):7-8.
Gestational carriers are more likely to be diagnosed with mental illness than women who conceive unassisted or use IVF.
The barriers and solutions to effective management of bipolar disorder during the perinatal period: a thematic review.
Khosravi M. Int J Bipolar Disord. 2025 Nov 4;13(1):32.
This thematic review describes patient-, provider-, and system-level barriers to effective management of bipolar disorder in the perinatal period, and highlights potential solutions to improve care.
MEDICATIONS AND PREGNANCY
Association of antidepressant use during pregnancy and pregnancy-induced hypertension: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Hu S, Lin T, Li L, Liu J, Zhao F, Xie H. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2025 Aug 25;25(1):884.
Following adjustment for depression as a confounding variable, sensitivity analysis indicated that SNRIs maintained an association with gestational hypertension/pre-eclampsia (adjusted OR = 1.53; 95% CI: 1.25-1.88); SSRIs showed no significant risk (adjusted OR = 1.03; 95% CI: 0.97-1.10).
Untangling the Risks of Antidepressants in Pregnancy.
Despite ongoing controversy, data from studies explicitly addressing confounding by indication suggest that SSRI use during pregnancy carries little or no risk for the most serious adverse outcomes.
Psychostimulant Continuation and Postpartum Mental Health in Pregnant People With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.
Xu KY, Pappas LM, Brown TR, Jansen MO, Tardelli VS, Fidalgo TM, Levin FR, Grucza RA, Suarez EA, Smid MC, Horns JJ, Bruno AM. Obstet Gynecol. 2026 Jan 8.
Among individuals with ADHD adherent to psychostimulants before pregnancy, the continuation of medication during pregnancy was not associated with adverse postpartum mental health outcomes when compared with discontinuation of medication.
Trimesters induced changes in pharmacokinetic parameters of antipsychotics.
Adhayanti I, Robiyanto R, Bahar MA, Wahyudin E. Arch Womens Ment Health. 2026 Jan 13;29(1):16.
This review reports on studies showing significant decreases in plasma levels of antipsychotics over the course of pregnancy. For example, quetiapine and aripiprazole, both second generation antipsychotics (SGAs), show substantial reductions in plasma levels during third trimester, falling by 76.2% and 76.8%, respectively.
Association of antidepressant use during pregnancy and pregnancy-induced hypertension: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Hu S, Lin T, Li L, Liu J, Zhao F, Xie H. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2025 Aug 25;25(1):884.
Following adjustment for depression as a confounding variable, sensitivity analysis indicated that SNRIs maintained an association with gestational hypertension/pre-eclampsia (adjusted OR = 1.53; 95% CI: 1.25-1.88); SSRIs showed no significant risk (adjusted OR = 1.03; 95% CI: 0.97-1.10).
POSTPARTUM PSYCHIATRIC ILLNESS
Depression at 2 Months Postpartum: Results From the French National Perinatal Survey.
PPD prevalence at 2 months was 16.7%. Factors significantly associated with PPD were (1) age ?29 or ?40 years; (2) being born in North Africa; (3) having a lower level of health literacy; (4) having a history of psychological or psychiatric care since adolescence; (5) receiving little/no support or good support during pregnancy; (6) reporting feelings of sadness, anhedonia, or both during pregnancy; and (7) having had an instrumental vaginal delivery.
Experiences of Using Online Peer Forums Among People With Postpartum Psychosis: Interpretative Phenomenological Study.
Williams K, Lobban F, Chamberlain E. JMIR Hum Factors. 2025 Dec 24;12:e80717.
All participants believed forums were helpful to their well-being and recovery; however, some also reported difficulties with engagement, comparison, and regulating their own use. Findings suggest that forums may benefit from being designed in a way that protects users and their identities, for example, via trigger warnings and setting boundaries.
Domperidone Use in Lactation and Risk of Severe Postpartum Mental Health Outcomes.
Zipursky J, Garg R, Wang T, Smith R, Li P, Vigod SN, Gomes T, Tadrous M. Obstet Gynecol. 2025 Dec 11.
Initiation of domperidone postpartum was not associated with an increased risk of new-onset psychosis or ED visits or hospital admissions with mental health diagnoses.
MEDICATIONS AND BREASTFEEDING
Balancing Mental Health and Breastfeeding: Evaluating the Transfer of Lurasidone Into Human Milk.
In a study including 9 lactating women, lurasidone had an average milk concentration of 39.5 ng/mL at the 40 mg/day standardized dose. The relative infant dose (RID) was 1.16%, which is below the standard 10% threshold for infant safety.
PERINATAL SUBSTANCE USE
Racial and Ethnic Inequities in the Receipt of Medications to Treat Opioid Use Disorder Among Pregnant People: A Meta-analysis.
Gerdts G, Sale K, Raynor P, Schiff DM, Terplan M, Bush E, Nidey N. J Addict Med. 2025 Jul-Aug;19(4):437-445.
Use of medications for opioid use disorders was significantly less common among Black (pooled OR: 0.35, 95% CI: 0.23, 0.55) and Hispanic (pooled OR: 0.60, 95% CI: 0.40, 0.89) pregnant people compared to their White counterparts.
MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH AND CHILD OUTCOMES
Perinatal Mental Health Interventions with a Parent-Child Relational Component: A Systematic Review of the Effects on Mothers and Dyads.
Freeman SE, Reznik J, Jain M, Sokol EE, Manning D, Rohde H, Loverich TM, Lawler JM. Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev. 2025 Sep;28(3):650-683.
Clinical implications include support for the use of brief group and individual interventions that target mental health outcomes via support for emotion expression and problem-solving, and relational outcomes via in vivo guidance for sensitive parent-child interactions, promotion of reflective functioning, and addressing caregiver perceptions of parent-child relationships.
MENOPAUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH
FDA Approves First Pill to Boost Sex Drive in Women After Menopause.
Addyi (flibanserin) is a nonhormonal daily pill, to treat low libido in women through age 65. The FDA previously approved Addyi for low sex drive in younger women.
Affective illness onset in women during the pre-, peri-, and post-menopausal phases.
Koukopoulos A, Tondo L, Sani G, Janiri D, De Chiara L, Baldessarini RJ. Nord J Psychiatry. 2026 Jan;80(1):59-65.
Women with onset of affective illness in the perimenopause phase spent 1.33 more time ill than those starting in the premenopausal phase and 1.46 more time ill than women with postmenopausal onset, with corresponding differences in illness episodes/year as well as suicidal risks.
The Removal of the Black Box on HT: Will Women’s Health Improve?
This article discusses the FDA’s recent removal of the black box warning on menopausal hormone therapy products and the opportunity it provides to improve personalized decision-making for hormone therapy.
OTHER TOPICS IN WOMEN’S MENTAL HEALTH
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Revisited: Novel Insights and Updates.
Current treatment strategies for PCOS primarily focus on lifestyle modifications and pharmacological interventions. These include dietary changes, nutritional supplementation, physical activity, and ovulation induction, all aimed at alleviating symptoms and improving quality of life. Notably, interventions targeting neurotransmitter metabolism are emerging as a novel area of research. The use of antidepressants, anxiolytics, and insulin-sensitizing agents has shown potential in alleviating symptoms and regulating neuroendocrine function.
