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 |
| Should we stress about stress? Implications of infertility on pregnancy-related anxiety and depression – PubMed
In a pregnant cohort, history of infertility was not associated with pregnancy anxiety (adjusted OR 1.03, 95% CI 0.69,1.53), mid-pregnancy depression (aOR 0.93, 95% CI 0.57,1.51), or postpartum depression (aOR 1.01, 95% CI 0.60,1.60). For participants with 1, 2, and ?3 spontaneous miscarriages, hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) for depression were 1.10 (1.02-1.19), 1.31 (1.14-1.50), and 1.40 (1.18-1.67), respectively, compared with participants without a history of spontaneous miscarriage, after adjustment for covariates. For anxiety, the hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) were 1.07 (1.00-1.15), 1.04 (0.90-1.19), and 1.21 (1.02-1.44), respectively. The risk of depression is further increased when there is also low degree of social support. |
PSYCHIATRIC ILLNESS DURING PREGNANCY |
| Mid-pregnancy sleep disorders and perinatal depression – PubMed
Among women without depression at 12 weeks pregnancy, those with sleep disorders in mid-pregnancy were more likely to have subsequent perinatal depression and depression tended to appear earlier; whereas, among women with depression, mid-pregnancy sleep disorders was not a predictor of subsequent perinatal depression. Thirteen studies (10 randomized controlled trials and three quasi-experimental studies) were included. MBI was found to have a small effect on mental health outcomes in pregnant women. Specifically, MBI had moderate effects on stress and anxiety but no significant effect on depression. Rapid increase seen in the diagnosis and treatment of perinatal mental health problems |
MEDICATIONS AND PREGNANCY |
| Risk of Autism after Prenatal Topiramate, Valproate, or Lamotrigine Exposure.
Hernández-Díaz S, et al found that in children born to mothers with epilepsy, the incidence of ASD was 4.2% with no exposure to antiseizure medication (8815 children), 6.2% with exposure to topiramate (1030 children), 10.5% with exposure to valproate (800 children), and 4.1% with exposure to lamotrigine (4205 children). 1,489 mother-child dyads were included, of whom 61 (4.1%) reported prenatal antidepressant use. Prenatal exposure was negatively associated with motor development, but not with cognitive and language development. Adjusting for maternal prenatal distress only slightly modified these associations. |
POSTPARTUM PSYCHIATRIC ILLNESS |
| A dynamic perspective on depressive symptoms during the first year postpartum – PubMed
The use of esketamine during the perioperative period can reduce the incidence of PPD without increasing adverse effects. A New $16,000 Postpartum Depression Drug Is Here. How Will Insurers Handle It? New Research Highlights Inequities in Diagnosis, Treatment of Postpartum Depressive Symptoms |
MEDICATIONS AND BREASTFEEDING |
| No articles this week |
PERINATAL SUBSTANCE USE |
| No articles this week |
MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH AND CHILD OUTCOMES |
| Maternal major depression during early pregnancy is associated with impaired child executive functioning at 4.5 years of age – PubMed
Exposure to maternal major depression during pregnancy, but not milder forms of depression, at 12 to 16 weeks of gestation is associated with impaired executive functioning in children during the preschool years. In contrast to their hypotheses, this study found that greater prenatal paternal depressive symptoms predicted fewer child behavioral difficulties; and that greater concurrent childhood paternal depression or anxiety symptoms were associated with higher child full-scale IQ, controlling for the equivalent maternal mental health assessment and parental education. These findings do not provide support for associations between fetal exposure during the second trimester of pregnancy and maternal cortisol, stress and anxiety, and childhood overweight or obesity at 5 years of age. During the COVID-19 pandemic, maternal mental health appears to be associated with some aspects of children’s cognitive development. |
MENOPAUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH |
| Optimism may help women maintain physical functioning as they age |
OTHER TOPICS IN WOMEN’S MENTAL HEALTH |
| With Hope and Fear, Women Turn to Weight-Loss Drugs Before Pregnancy |
