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
Association of a history of depression with infertility, miscarriage and stillbirth: a longitudinal cohort study.
Liang C, Chung HF, Dobson AJ, Mishra GD. Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci. 2024 Nov 5;33:e55.
Women with a history of depression (excluding postnatal depression) were at higher risk of infertility, miscarriage, and recurrent miscarriage compared to women without a history of depression.
PSYCHIATRIC ILLNESS DURING PREGNANCY
Prescribing Patterns for the Treatment of Bipolar Disorder in Pregnancy: A Retrospective Cohort Study.
Kernizan NJ, Yancey AM, Forinash AB, Chavan NR, Mathews KJ. J Clin Med. 2025 Feb 28;14(5):1638.
Despite having documented bipolar disorder, only 14% of pregnancies were treated with mood stabilizers at the first visit, 36.9% during pregnancy, and 22.4% at delivery.
Incidence and Risk Factors for Suicide Attempt During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period.
Goldman-Mellor S, Olfson M, Gemmill A, Margerison C. J Clin Psychiatry. 2025 Mar 5;86(2):24m15633.
Risks of postpartum suicide attempt were increased 4- to 30-fold by prenatal suicide attempt ED visits, psychiatric ED visits, assault ED visits, and by diagnoses such as psychotic disorders, bipolar disorder, alcohol use disorder, depression, and anxiety.
MEDICATIONS AND PREGNANCY
Systematic review of gabapentinoid use during pregnancy and its impact on pregnancy and childhood outcomes: A ConcePTION study.
Beau AB, Mo J, Moisset X, Bénévent J, Damase-Michel C. Therapie. 2025 Jul-Aug;80(4):378-416.
Prenatal pregabalin exposure was associated with increased risk of congenital anomalies and long-term neurodevelopmental effects, while gabapentin exposure was linked to preeclampsia, preterm birth, and small-for-gestational age.
Antiseizure medication use during pregnancy and children’s neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Madley-Dowd P, Ahlqvist VH, Forbes H, Rast JE, Martin FZ, Zhong C, Barry CS, Berglind D, Lundberg M, Lyall K, Newschaffer CJ, Tomson T, Davies NM, Magnusson C, Rai D, Lee BK. Nat Commun. 2024 Nov 15;15(1):9640.
Valproate exposure during pregnancy was associated with higher risks of autism, intellectual disability, and ADHD. Topiramate exposure was linked to 2.5-fold increased risk of intellectual disability, and carbamazepine to autism and intellectual disability.
Methylphenidate and Atomoxetine in Pregnancy and Possible Adverse Fetal Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
di Giacomo E, Confalonieri V, Tofani F, Clerici M. JAMA Netw Open. 2024 Nov 4;7(11):e2443648.
No increased risk of congenital anomalies or miscarriage was observed with methylphenidate or atomoxetine exposure compared to unexposed or general population groups.
The Association of Antidepressants in Late Pregnancy with Postpartum Hemorrhage: Systematic Review of Controlled Observational Studies.
Bobo WV, Moore KM, Betcher HK, Larish AM, Stoppel CM, VandeVoort JL, Chauhan M, Athreya AP, Talati A. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol. 2024 Dec;34(10):428-446.
Late pregnancy exposure to antidepressants may slightly increase the risk of postpartum hemorrhage, though causality is uncertain due to potential confounding factors.
POSTPARTUM PSYCHIATRIC ILLNESS
Treatment of women with generalized anxiety disorder during the postpartum period with paroxetine: A retrospective analysis of 11 years of clinical data.
Bakay H, Gica S, Uguz F. Health Care Women Int. 2025;46(5):585-591.
In this retrospective study, significant symptom improvement was observed in postpartum women with GAD treated with paroxetine, with response and remission rates of 78.8% and 63.6%, respectively.
Improving perinatal depression screening uptake: The impact of Medicaid reimbursement policy in Massachusetts.
Jeung C, Attanasio LB, Geissler KH. Health Serv Res. 2025 Apr;60 Suppl 2:e14420.
Allowing separate payment for perinatal depression screening significantly improved screening rates among Medicaid beneficiaries.
Risk of Postpartum Depression and Postpartum Psychosis in Patients With Obstetric Complications: A Case-Control Study.
Kamal MZ, Naseer N, Khan AA, Khan ZA, Hayat MA, Mahmood Y, Danish T. Cureus. 2025 Jun 16;17(6):e86156.
Obstetric complications including preeclampsia/eclampsia, postpartum hemorrhage, preterm birth, and gestational diabetes were associated with higher risk of postpartum psychiatric disorders.
Perinatal mood episodes in fathers with bipolar disorder.
Brooks R, Marsden J, Mahoney B, Perry A, Jones I, Gordon-Smith K, Jones L. J Affect Disord. 2025 Jul 9;390:119856.
Over one-third of fathers with bipolar disorder reported postpartum mood episodes, most often beginning during pregnancy.
Recurrent Postpartum Psychosis With Delayed Onset and Rapid Recovery: A Case Report.
Jacobsen G, Saffioti A, Cortes EY, Padilla VL. Cureus. 2025 May 20;17(5):e84506.
Biomarkers of reproductive psychiatric disorders.
Etyemez S, Mehta K, Iyer S, Özdemir ?, Osborne LM. Br J Psychiatry. 2025 Jun;226(6):352-368.
This review highlights evidence on genetic, epigenetic, neuroactive steroid, immune, and neuroimaging biomarkers in reproductive psychiatric disorders.
Depression, Inflammation, and Postpartum Psychosis.
Kalin NH. Am J Psychiatry. 2025 Jun 1;182(6):501-503.
A Step Closer to Understanding Familial Risk for Postpartum Psychosis.
Dazzan P. Am J Psychiatry. 2025 Jun 1;182(6):504-505.
Unveiling the intersection: Dissociative and psychotic-like experiences among a trauma-exposed clinical sample including postpartum women.
Monette MA, Minor KS, Ward MJ, Miller ML. Psychol Trauma. 2025 Jun 2.
The study emphasizes the importance of distinguishing PTSD, dissociative symptoms, and psychotic-like experiences in trauma-exposed postpartum women.
Familial Risk of Postpartum Psychosis.
K?pi?ska AP, Robakis TK, Humphreys K, Liu X, Kahn RS, Munk-Olsen T, Bergink V, Mahjani B. Am J Psychiatry. 2025 Jun 1;182(6):542-550.
While familial risk for postpartum psychosis is elevated, the absolute risk for women with an affected sibling remained relatively low (1.60%).
MEDICATIONS AND BREASTFEEDING
Lamotrigine Use in Lactating Women: Passage Into Breast Milk and Infant Exposure.
den Besten-Bertholee D, Wegner I, Touw DJ, Horst PGJ, Mian P. Ther Drug Monit. 2025 Jun 1;47(3):317-319.
Lamotrigine concentrations in breast milk correlate with maternal plasma levels, supporting the goal of maintaining the lowest effective plasma concentration.
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.
Black and Hispanic pregnant people were significantly less likely to receive medications for opioid use disorder compared to White counterparts.
Association between buprenorphine dose and outcomes among pregnant persons with opioid use disorder.
Jarlenski M, LoCiganic WH, Chen Q, Pudasainy S, Donohue JM, Cole ES, Krans EE. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2025 Jul;233(1):59.e1-59.e15.
Higher buprenorphine doses and longer duration during pregnancy were linked to better postpartum treatment continuation and reduced overdose risk, without increased risk of NAS or low birth weight.
MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH AND CHILD OUTCOMES
No articles this week
MENOPAUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH
No articles this week
OTHER TOPICS IN WOMEN’S MENTAL HEALTH
No articles this week
