Tag Archives: Perinatal

Commonly Used Screening Tools May Not Identify Women with Perinatal Anxiety Disorders

Commonly Used Screening Tools May Not Identify Women with Perinatal Anxiety Disorders In 2015, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists issued a committee opinion recommending that clinicians screen patients at least once during the perinatal period for depression and anxiety symptoms. Most obstetric clinics use questionnaires, like the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, to screen… Read More »

Poor Sleep During Pregnancy Associated with Perinatal Anxiety, OCD

According to a recent study, approximately 28%-38% of women meet criteria for sleep deficiency during early pregnancy. (Sleep deficiency is defined as short sleep duration, insufficient sleep, or insomnia). As pregnancy progresses, sleep quality continues to deteriorate; during the third trimester, over half of all women report poor quality of sleep. We have a growing… Read More »

A Meta-Analysis of Gestational Diabetes and Risk for Perinatal Depression

According to recent findings published in Diabetic Medicine, women who develop gestational diabetes may be more likely to experience depression during pregnancy and after delivery, compared to women without gestational diabetes. Over the years, we have reviewed several studies looking at the association between GDM and risk for depression. In a systematic review and meta-analysis,… Read More »

Perinatal Depression: How Do We Define High Risk? (Part 2)

Several weeks ago, the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) issued recommendations that all pregnant and postpartum women should be evaluated in order to determine risk for depressive illness and suggests that women at increased risk should be referred for counseling. The hope is that if we can identify the women at highest risk for… Read More »

Perinatal Depression: How Do We Define High Risk? (Part 1)

In 2016, the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended that all adults, including pregnant and postpartum women, should be screened for depression; the task force has extended those recommendations by stating that all pregnant and postpartum women should be evaluated in order to determine risk for depressive illness and suggests that women at increased… Read More »