MGH Center for Women's Mental Health

Welcome

Welcome to the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Women’s Mental Health, a perinatal and reproductive psychiatry information center.

This website provides a range of current information including discussion of new research findings in women’s mental health and how such investigations inform day-to-day clinical practice. Despite the growing number of studies being conducted in women’s health, the clinical implications of such work are frequently controversial, leaving patients with questions regarding the most appropriate path to follow. Providing these resources to patients and their doctors so that individual clinical decisions can be made in a thoughtful and collaborative fashion dovetails with the mission of our Center.

We hope you find this website informative and we welcome your comments.
New
The Women’s Mental Health Bulletin: May 2009

Click here to read the most recent issue of our newsletter and learn more about the National Pregnancy Registry for Atypical Antipsychotics, the use of
Omega-3 Fatty Acids for depression in women, the relationship between anxiety and menopausal hot flashes, and the association between fetal exposure to valproate and lower IQ.

Also, see what research studies are currently being conducted at the Center for Women’s Mental Health.
Latest StudyThe National Pregnancy Registry for Atypical Antipsychotics

If you are a pregnant woman between the ages of 18 and 45 and are currently treated with one or more of the following atypical antipsychotics:

• Abilify (aripiprazole)
• Clozaril (clozapine)
• Geodon (ziprasidone)
• Invega (paliperidone)
• Risperdal (risperidone)
• Seroquel (quetiapine)
• Zyprexa (olanzapine)

Register now by calling 1-866-961-2388 and help make the future better for many other women just like you…

This study will involve 3 brief phone interviews over an 8-month period.

The National Pregnancy Registry for Atypical Antipsychotics is dedicated to evaluating the safety of atypical antipsychotic medications that may be taken by women during pregnancy to treat a wide range of mood, anxiety, or psychiatric disorders. The primary goal of this Registry is to determine the frequency of major malformations, such as heart defects, cleft lip, or neural tube defects, in infants exposed to atypical antipsychotics during pregnancy.

For more information, please call 1-866-961-2388.
The MGH Center for Women’s Mental Health
Perinatal and Reproductive Psychiatry Program
Simches Research Builiding
185 Cambridge St Suite 2200
Boston, MA 02114
To make an appointment:

Massachusetts General Hospital Clinical Program: (617) 724-7792

Latest News from our Blog

What Would You Do? A Pregnant Women on Duloxetine (Cymbalta)

Published: June 29th, 2009

Ms. A is a 27-year-old woman who is seven weeks pregnant and is currently taking duloxetine (Cymbalta). She has a history of recurrent major depressive disorder (MDD) and has had ... (read more)

Do SSRIs Increase the Risk of Preeclampsia?

Published: June 22nd, 2009

Hypertension in pregnancy is generally defined as a diastolic blood pressure of 90 mm Hg or greater or a systolic pressure at or above 140 mm Hg. Preeclampsia is defined ... (read more)

OCD in Pregnant and Postpartum Women

Published: June 18th, 2009

The lifetime prevalence rate of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has been consistently estimated to be 2%-3% in the general adult population throughout the world, making OCD one of more common psychiatric ... (read more)

Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicines for Menopausal Hot Flashes

Published: May 29th, 2009

Approximately seventy percent of all women experience hot flashes and/or night sweats (also called vasomotor symptoms) during the menopause transition (Stearns et al. 2002). Until recently, estrogen therapy was ... (read more)

Postpartum Depressive Symptoms Increase the Risk of Smoking Relapse

Published: May 19th, 2009

While many women who smoke successfully quit smoking during pregnancy, most of these women return to smoking within 12 months of delivery. Several studies have suggested that certain factors may ... (read more)

Mass General Hospital

Center for Women's Mental Health

Welcome