Approximately 10-15% of women will experience mood symptoms that meet criteria for a Major Depressive Episode during the postpartum period. However, as many as 50% of women may experience some level of depressive symptoms during the postpartum period. Recent evidence suggests that even depressive symptoms that do not qualify for a diagnosis of postpartum depression [...]
Tag Archives: postpartum
Can We Identify Women at High Risk for Postpartum Psychosis?
August 3, 2009 – 9:29 am
Postpartum psychosis is rare, occurring in about 1 to 2 per 1000 women after delivery. While there appears to be a strong link between postpartum psychosis and bipolar disorder, it is estimated that about half of women who present with postpartum psychosis have no psychiatric history prior to delivery, making it difficult to identify those [...]
OCD in Pregnant and Postpartum Women
June 18, 2009 – 9:44 am
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 diagnoses; however research on OCD in pregnancy and peurperium has been limited.
Although most studies have not been designed to estimate the prevalence of pregnancy-related OCD [...]
Use of Hormonal Contraception in Women with Coexisting Medical Conditions
July 14, 2008 – 1:29 pm
Is the use of hormonal contraception safe for women older than 35 years?
Yes, in non-smoking, healthy women over 35, there appears to be no increased risk of heart attack or stroke. Perimenopausal women may benefit from the positive effects of estrogen on bone mineral density and vasomotor symptoms. In addition, women on oral [...]
Oral Contraceptives and the Risk of Blood Clots in Postpartum Women
July 2, 2008 – 2:12 pm
If a woman does not breastfeed following delivery, prolactin levels decrease and fertility returns to normal, and pregnancy is possible. Even if a woman decides to breastfeed, she should still use some form of contraception, as prolactin levels vary depending on individual breastfeeding styles. Women may be fertile and become pregnant even before the [...]
Eating Disorders in Pregnancy and Postpartum
May 8, 2008 – 11:59 am
The British Medical Journal recently published a brief, but comprehensive review of eating disorders in pregnancy by Veronica Bridget Ward. Eating disorders (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and eating disorder not otherwise specified) most commonly occur in women of reproductive age and may be influenced by pregnancy and its associated weight gain and change [...]
