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.
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Happy Reading!
Ruta Nonacs, MD PhD
PMS AND PMDD
No articles this week
INFERTILITY AND MENTAL HEALTH
The Psychological Impact of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF): A Gender Systematic Review.
Women experience higher levels of psychological distress, including increased anxiety and depression symptoms, compared to men at nearly all stages of IVF treatment.
PSYCHIATRIC ILLNESS DURING PREGNANCY
Preterm Birth and Maternal Mental Health.
While maternal mental health disorders are associated with increased risk of preterm birth, the relationship is bidirectional and multifaceted.
MEDICATIONS AND PREGNANCY
Maternal and paternal antidepressant use before and during pregnancy and offspring risk of neurodevelopmental disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
This systematic review and meta-analysis indicated a small association between antidepressants and ADHD or ASD, which was attenuated or became non-significant after adjusting for confounding factors. Antidepressant treatment should be continued for pregnant women with moderate-to-severe depression.
Postapproval Pregnancy Safety Studies.
Guidelines from the FDA provide sponsors and investigators with recommendations on how to design investigations to assess the safety outcomes of pregnancies in women who are exposed to FDA regulated drug and biological products during pregnancy (i.e., pregnancy safety studies) in the postmarketing setting.
POSTPARTUM PSYCHIATRIC ILLNESS
Bidirectional Association Between Premenstrual Disorders and Psychiatric Disorders.
What are the risks of psychiatric disorders among women with premenstrual disorders (PMD) and vice versa? In this nationwide cohort study conducted in Sweden, bidirectional associations were found between PMD and psychiatric disorders and conditions, highlighting the need for sex- and menstrual cycle–informed care in psychiatry.
MEDICATIONS AND BREASTFEEDING
No articles this week
PERINATAL SUBSTANCE USE
Support Models Improve Prenatal Medication Retention for Opioid Use Disorder.
Care delivery approaches designed to support obstetric clinicians helped manage opioid use disorder during pregnancy and the postpartum period in women, underscoring a need for adequate training for obstetric providers and treatment engagement in patients with pregnancy and opioid use disorder.
Pregnant Women With Opioid Use Disorder Often Miss Medication Rx.
Less than half of pregnant women with opioid use disorder (OUD) receive medications for OUD (MOUD) during pregnancy, according to a study published online April 22 in Drug and Alcohol Dependence.
MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH AND CHILD OUTCOMES
Preterm Birth and Maternal Mental Health.
While maternal mental health disorders are associated with increased risk of preterm birth, the relationship is bidirectional and multifaceted.
Latest NVSS & MMRC Maternal Mortality Data from the CDC.
The provisional 2025 NVSS data suggest a modest decline in maternal mortality compared to the finalized 2024 rate of 17.9 per 100,000 live births, with recent rolling estimates falling in the 16–17 range; however, this small change should be interpreted cautiously given provisional data and normal year-to-year variability.
MENOPAUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy May Aid Menopause and Sleep Outcomes.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for menopausal insomnia improves sleep and hot flash interference in postmenopausal women, according to a study published online May 5 in Menopause.
The Impact of Estradiol Dynamics During the Menopause Transition on Depression Risk: a narrative review of estradiol’s neurobiological mechanisms.
Nathan MD, Bondy E, Walsh M, Gibson K, Schiller CE. Biol Psychiatry. 2026 Feb 10.
This narrative review describes how estradiol dynamics across MT modulate neurobiological processes to confer risk for depressive symptoms and perimenopausal-onset major depressive episode (PO-MDE).
Neuroinflammation and the Female Brain: Sex-Specific Mechanisms Underlying Mood Disorders and Stress Vulnerability.
Marano G, d’Abate C, Traversi G, Mazza O, Gaetani E, Esposito R, Pavese F, Paris I, Mazza M. Life (Basel). 2026 Jan 15;16(1):139.
This review synthesizes current neuroscientific evidence on the sex-dependent neuroinflammatory mechanisms that bridge hormonal dynamics, brain function, and psychiatric outcomes in women, identifying critical periods of vulnerability, converging molecular pathways, and novel therapeutic targets, including anti-inflammatory strategies, estrogen-modulating treatments, lifestyle interventions, and biomarkers for personalized psychiatry.
Pathogenesis and potential therapies for perimenopausal depression: Insights from the estrogen-gut microbiota axis.
Wang X, Lin Y, Zhou M. Front Neuroendocrinol. 2026 Jan;80:101233.
This review discusses how estrogen deficiency and dysbiosis of the gut microbiota contribute to the pathogenesis of perimenopausal depression, discussing the potential for a vicious cycle mediated by the estrogen-gut microbiota axis that increases susceptibility to this condition.
The role of hormone replacement therapy in the management of perimenopausal mental health symptoms: A narrative review.
Langhe R, Kelly T, Ibrahim R, Al-Janabi R, Mohammed G, Mousa N. Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2025 Dec 9.
Prevalence and incidence of depressive, anxiety, and insomnia symptoms in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women: systematic review and meta-analysis.
Balasubramanian I, Abhijita B, Krishnamoorthy Y, Gnanadhas J, Beg MJ, Menon V. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2026 Mar 14;100:325-335.
Marano G, d’Abate C, Traversi G, Mazza O, Gaetani E, Esposito R, Pavese F, Paris I, Mazza M. Life (Basel). 2026 Jan 15;16(1):139.
This review synthesizes current neuroscientific evidence on the sex-dependent neuroinflammatory mechanisms that bridge hormonal dynamics, brain function, and psychiatric outcomes in women.
