While mental health disorders are prevalent among pregnant women, limited research, with limited strength of evidence has examined the effectiveness, benefits, and harms of pharmacotherapy for perinatal mental health disorders. Consequently, the researchers systematically reviewed evidence of pharmacotherapy for perinatal mental health disorders.
Filling an opioid prescription in the postpartum period is associated with an increased risk for serious opioid-related events, with the risk increasing with the number of prescriptions filled.
Nearly half of pregnant women suffer from poor quality sleep, particularly in the third trimester, and poor sleep is associated with an increased risk of preterm delivery and postnatal depression.
A recent meta-analysis showed that approximately 1 in 5 women met diagnostic criteria for at least one anxiety disorder during pregnancy or postpartum.
Women with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) were more likely to access mental health services within 1 year postpartum compared with women who are HIV-negative.
OCD symptoms alleviation during the postpartum period was associated with hyperthymic temperament and a history of decreased OCD symptoms following a previous birth.
Intolerance of uncertainty, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms during pregnancy were significant predictors of worsening postpartum anxiety.
The US Preventive Services Task Force concluded that providing or referring pregnant or postpartum women to counseling has a moderate net benefit in preventing perinatal depression.
Postpartum PTSD is an area with limited physician knowledge.
Researchers found that 5 days after childbirth, those who took the supplements scored better on tests of mood.
