Postpartum

BACKGROUND: Postpartum depression (PPD) affects 10% to 20% of mothers, with higher rates among marginalized communities. Mental health issues contribute to 22.7% of pregnancy-related deaths. Doulas pr...

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to determine if Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) scores at delivery discharge are predictive of EPDS scores at 2-6 weeks postpartum. METHOD: Thi...

The psychological effects of first-time childbirth on parents have long been a focal point in social science research. This study provides a new perspective by applying demographic transition theory t...

Background: Measuring quantitative menstrual cycle hormones at home may help women better understand their postpartum and perimenopause fertility transitions, but these quantitative fertility monitors...

BACKGROUND: Women are highly motivated and receptive to accepting family planning methods during the antenatal period. Hence, we conducted this study to evaluate the refusal rate and reasons for the r...

Background: Very little is known about the prevalence and risk factors of postpartum depression among women with vaginal births without major pregnancy complications. Objective: This study aimed to a...

The uses of cervical mucus and basal body temperature as indicators of return to fertility postpartum have resulted in high unintended pregnancy rates. In 2013, a study found that when women used urin...

Importance: Hormonal sensitivity may contribute to the risk of depression in some women, as observed during the premenstrual, postpartum, and perimenopausal phases, and when initiating hormonal contra...

Background: The timing of the resumption of post-partum menses is important for a woman who intends to avoid subsequent unintended pregnancy, and it has key implications on maternal, neonatal, and chi...

Background: Women with polycystic ovary syndrome experience increased health complications during and after pregnancy, including a higher prevalence of postpartum depression. Although previous researc...

Objectives: To summarize the evidence on typical and perfect-use effectiveness of fertility awareness-based methods for avoiding pregnancy during the postpartum period, whether breastfeeding or not. ...

Background: Women with polycystic ovary syndrome are more likely to experience several pregnancy complications including hypertensive disorders, gestational diabetes mellitus, and preterm births than ...

Despite the available research investigating uterine physiology during and immediately following pregnancy, including at the vascular and muscular levels, knowledge of the potential long-term timeline...

Introduction: Breastfeeding has immediate and long-term benefits for both maternal and child health. This study examines the association between Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) experiences an...

Estradiol is the "prototypic" sex hormone of women. Yet, women have another sex hormone, which is often disregarded: Progesterone. The goal of this article is to provide a comprehensive review on prog...

During the postpartum and menopausal periods of women's lives, there is a well-established and significant drop of circulating estrogens. This may be the reason why both these periods are associated w...

Introduction: Hospitals are in a unique position to promote, protect, and support breastfeeding. However, the association between in-hospital events and breastfeeding success within population-based s...

Parity and lactation showed no associations with incident clinical fragility fractures or radiographic vertebral compression fractures in the 16-year CaMos prospective study. Parity was associated wit...

Identifying the return of fertility with cervical mucus observations is challenging during the postpartum period. Use of urinary measurements of estrogen and progesterone can assist in understanding t...

This issue of Current Medical Research (CMR) includes studies that provide evidence that use of natural family planning (NFP) can be helpful for subfertile couples wishing to achieve a pregnancy, the ...

Background: Probiotics may help to prevent symptoms of anxiety and depression through several putative mechanisms. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Lactobacillus rhamnos...

Objectives: Studies have demonstrated an association between hormonal contraception use with subsequent depression and antidepressant use. This association has not been assessed among postpartum women...

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and a leading cause of death from cancer among U.S. women. Studies have suggested that breastfeeding reduces breast cancer risk among parous women, ...

Objective: To analyze the effectiveness of an online, nurse-managed natural family planning (NFP) program among breastfeeding women and subgroups of these women. Design: Longitudinal comparative cohor...

Background: Depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) is the most commonly used hormonal contraceptive method in South Africa. It is frequently administered in the immediate postnatal period, yet it is...

INTRODUCTION: The postpartum period is a challenging time for family planning, especially for women who breastfeed. Breastfeeding delays the return of menses (lactational amenorrhea), but ovulation of...

Background: Depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) is commonly prescribed to women immediately postpartum due to its efficacy, convenience and lack of estrogen. It is unclear whether administering a...

A protocol was developed and evaluated for nonovulating breastfeeding women to determine potential fertility with an electronic hormonal fertility monitor. The amount of required abstinence (i.e., day...

Background: Exogenous estrogens affect the onset and clinical course of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis. Oral contraceptives, a frequent source of exogenous estrogens in humans, could have a r...

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale versus routine clinical evaluation to detect postpartum depression among a low-income inne...

The first 3 postpartum months represent a high-risk period for psychiatric illnesses. This article reviews the prevalence and diagnostic criteria for postpartum illnesses, including the "maternal blue...

BACKGROUND: Women who are positive for thyroid antibodies in early gestation are prone to post-partum depression, apparently independent of thyroid dysfunction, as measured by serum levels of free thy...

OBJECTIVE: To identify and test the predictive power of potential independent risk factors of postpartum depressive symptoms during pregnancy and the perinatal period. METHODS: We conducted a case-co...

OBJECTIVE: To review validation studies of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). METHOD: A systematic search was performed in Medline and the Science Citation Index Expanded (ISI) from the...

A high prevalence of psychiatric illness has been noted in the postpartum period. Recent research looks to the potential effects of maternal illness during this period on child development. With the p...

BACKGROUND: The postpartum period is a time when women are vulnerable to depressive disorders, which can be severe and have long-lasting adverse sequelae. In spite of multiple contacts with health car...

Several studies indicate that parity and lactation are associated with modest, short-term bone loss, but the long-term effect on osteoporotic fracture risk is uncertain. The authors therefore analyzed...

The purpose of this study was to describe and assess certified nurse-midwives' (CNMs) knowledge and promotion of two modalities for child spacing, natural family-planning (NFP) and the lactational ame...

BACKGROUND: Postnatal depression refers to a non-psychotic depressive episode that begins in or extends into the postpartum period. The aims of this study were to examine the prevalence of depressive ...

The objective of this effort was to assess the use and efficacy of the Lactational Amenorrhea Method (LAM) with reduced numbers of client-provider contacts. A co-sponsored multicenter study of LAM was...

OBJECTIVE: To relate serum allopregnanolone and progesterone levels postpartum to maternity "blues." METHODS: Forty primiparous, healthy, married women (24-39 years of age; at least 13 years of educa...

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the community prevalence in Olmsted County, Minnesota of elevated scores on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, a self-report screening tool for postpartum depression. ME...

OBJECTIVE: Endocrine factors are purported to play a role in the etiology of postpartum depression, but direct evidence for this role is lacking. The authors investigated the possible role of changes ...

A community-based sample of 107 women completed the Beck Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale at 14 weeks postpartum an...

BACKGROUND: Depressed new mothers usually do not seek and therefore do not receive any psychiatric help. METHODS: In order to assess predictive signs of postpartum depression (PPD), an unselected sam...

The months following childbirth are a time of heightened vulnerability to depressive mood changes. Because of the abrupt and dramatic changes occurring in hormone levels after delivery, many studies h...

Because the onset of mood and anxiety disorders often occurs during the childbearing years, many women may be taking psychotropic medications for these disorders when they conceive. These medications ...

This study explored a multifactorial model for the prediction of the intensity of depressive symptoms in postpartum women. Data were gathered from 213 pregnant women during the second trimester of pre...

Mood disorders are common in women. A prepregnancy personal history of mood disorder (bipolar or major depression), premenstrual syndrome, or (possibly) postpartum blues places a woman at high risk fo...

OBJECTIVE: To develop and evaluate a questionnaire used antepartum to screen for postpartum depression. STUDY DESIGN: Demographic and clinical data, based on previously identified variables, were obt...

Postpartum mood disorders are common. The clustering of mood-disorder episodes after birth compels a search for factors particularly potent during childbearing. In this article, the complex relationsh...

Epidemiologic studies demonstrate a twofold higher rate of depression in women than in men. The childbearing years are a time of increased risk for onset of depression in women. Pregnancy, miscarriage...

Despite the high prevalence of postpartum depressive disorders, many signs and symptoms of this illness are dismissed as normal physiologic changes associated with childbirth. Prompt recognition and t...

The third trimester of human pregnancy is characterized by a hyperactive hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, possibly driven by progressively increasing circulating levels of placental CRH and gradua...

BACKGROUND: Postnatal depression can have long-term adverse consequences for the mother, for the marital relationship, and for the infant's psychological development. Such depressions can be severe an...

Seven women with histories of puerperal psychosis and four with histories of puerperal major depression were consecutively treated with high-dose oral estrogen immediately following delivery. None of ...

A better understanding of reproductive anatomy and physiology has led to newer methods of natural family planning, including the ovulation method and the symptothermal method. Studies have shown that ...

There is considerable evidence that the childbearing years represent a time when women are highly vulnerable to developing mood disorders. Prospective, cross-sectional, and retrospective studies have ...

During lactational amenorrhea a special type of cervical mucus, similar to that found during the luteal phase, is produced. This mucus, however, is able to support sperm migration. In the study descri...

The aim of this study was to investigate women who had first-episode psychosis within 1 year after parturition. The Danish Psychiatric Central Register and the Danish Medical Birth Register were linke...

Objective: Insufficient breast milk is the most common reason for premature termination of breast-feeding. The causes of lactation insufficiency are usually multifactorial; in a small percentage of ca...

OBJECTIVES: To define relation between mood and concentrations of progesterone and cortisol during perinatal period to test hypothesis that rapid physiological withdrawal of steroid hormones after del...

Natural family planning (NFP) methods can be effective if taught well and practised by well-motivated couples. Midwives should be able to give couples an understanding of the basic principles of the m...

Silent intrauterine infection as cause of preterm labour should be recognised early by measuring C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in the maternal serum. Ensuing antibiotic therapy may not only cause ge...

A group of 119 patients suffering from a severe psychiatric postpartum disorder who were admitted for the first time in their life to a psychiatric hospital has been investigated. The onset of illness...

More than half of new mothers may be affected by mood disorders after childbirth. Possible causes and recommended management depend on the type of disorder and its severity. In this article, Dr Knops ...

Cervical mucus is produced throughout the menstrual cycle. Sperm migration, however, is possible only during the periovulatory period of the cycle. Cervical mucus is also produced during the amenorrho...

Thirty cases of post-partum psychotic disorders occurred between 1973 and 1987 and hospitalized at the Psychiatric Ward of Florence University were studied and followed up. A structured diagnostic int...

Hypofolatemia can cause psychiatric disturbances of a depressive nature. Pregnancy and delivery are often associated with hypofolatemia. This study was conducted to determine if hypofolatemia at day 3...

In this study we have evaluated the score, sperm migration and ultrastructural characteristics of cervical mucus present in amenorrhoeic women under exclusive breastfeeding at 30, 60, 90, 120, 150 and...

Functional psychosis in the puerperal period is a dramatic phenomenon that presents a unique set of diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. Despite its omission from modern classificatory systems such ...

The development of a 10-item self-report scale (EPDS) to screen for Postnatal Depression in the community is described. After extensive pilot interviews a validation study was carried out on 84 mother...

The use-effectiveness of natural methods of family planning in lactation is evaluated by comparing the incidence of unplanned pregnancies in a group of nursing mothers practising these methods with th...

A prospective six-year study (1975-1980) of 273 patients, monitored in the use of natural family planning (NFP), has shown that those with previously irregular menstrual cycles are disadvantaged in th...

Luteal phase abnormalities in early menstrual cycles after pregnancy have been shown to cause confusion in the practice of natural family planning (NFP) for some patients and to restrict severely the ...

We interviewed 128 women regularly during pregnancy and the first postnatal year. Psychiatric interviews identified eight 'cases' of psychiatric disorder (6 per cent) in early pregnancy and twenty 'ca...

Fifty-eight psychoses beginning within two weeks of childbirth are compared with 52 episodes of nonpuerperal psychotic illness occurring in young women. A clinical approach based on the use of multipl...

One hundred and seventy-two plasma progesterone determinations were performed in normal pregnancy, labor, and the puerperium. One hundred and nineteen of the assays were done on isolated samples; 53 o...