Women Clinic

About 20% of women experience some depressive symptoms during pregnancy, and about 10% of women develop major depression.

The birth of a baby is generally considered a joyful time, but it is also a time when women are susceptible to depression. Such feelings make it very hard for a new mother to take care of herself and her baby and put strain on the family. Depression that occurs after the birth of a baby is called “postpartum” depression.

About 10%–15% of new mothers develop postpartum major depression.

The most important risk factor for postpartum depression is having had a similar episode before. Over half of the women who have had a previous depression after the birth of a child will become depressed again when they give birth.

Use of psychotropics in pregnancy is relatively safe, risks and benefits need to be discussed. Reports of major congenital malformations in the fetus with the use of antipsychotics during pregnancy have given mixed results. The relative risk of the fetus born with congenital malformation might be slightly higher for those who use antipsychotics during pregnancy but the absolute risk gets minimized when we compare the risks between women with bipolar disorder not on medication and women with bipolar disorder treated with medication. In deciding whether a woman should use antipsychotic medication while pregnant or trying to become pregnant, a woman and her doctor have to balance the possible risks of the medication against the severity of the disorder.

Infant needs to be observed closely if breastfeeding given. Given the many benefits of breast feeding, some women may wish to continue breast feeding their infants while receiving psychiatric medications. Some amount of the drug is invariably excreted in the breast milk therefore exposing the infant.
With the available information on antipsychotics and mood stabilizers while breast feeding, serious adverse events related to these medications have not been reported. However, there have been reports of milder adverse events such as jitteriness, irritability, excessive sedation, lethargy, slowed motor movements, excessive crying and sleep disturbances in infants exposed to psychotropics.

Premenstrual syndrome or more commonly known as PMS is a very common health problem that occurs during a menstrual cycle and is faced by women across all ages, especially those in their 20s and 30s. Almost 70-80% of women have at least one symptom while in 30-40%, it is slightly more severe. It often affects the personal, social and work or academic life of the woman. PMDD or pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder is a more severe form of PMS. Approximately 3-8% of women can have PMDD. Those with PMDD will need treatment from a psychiatrist due to the severe symptoms.

It’s been shown that almost 50% of women in their perimenopausal period have some form of psychiatric illness or the other. This can be a new onset or exacerbation of previous illnesses. Symptoms include irritability, tiredness, feeling sad and anxious, palpitations, body pains, joint aches, poor sleep and appetite etc. Often, along with various other social factors, hormonal fluctuations play a big role in contributing to the illness. These conditions are treatable, so women should seek help whenever needed.