The Mental and Physical Health Impacts of Overturning Roe v Wade.

The overturning of Roe v Wade has resulted in the loss of reproductive rights for millions of women in the United States. It has also put these women at risk of severe mental and physical health consequences. When legal abortions are restricted, there is a rise in illegal abortion with the risk of hemorrhage, infection, infertility, and death.

Hypnotic benzodiazepine receptor agonist exposure during pregnancy and the risk of congenital malformations and other adverse pregnancy outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To determine if there is an association between antenatal hypnotic benzodiazepine receptor agonist exposure and congenital malformations or other adverse pregnancy outcomes in the offspring.

Methods: Databases were searched to January 31, 2021. Cohort studies published in English on congenital malformations or other adverse pregnancy outcomes in infants following exposure compared with those unexposed, were summarized and meta-analyzed where possible.

Controversies about the use of antidepressants in pregnancy.

There is controversy about the use of antidepressant medication during pregnancy. Decisions about their use are affected by understanding the risks of these medications causing pregnancy loss, congenital malformations, neonatal adaptation syndrome, persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn, autism spectrum disorder, or long-term neurocognitive deficits. Although some research has raised concerns about antidepressants causing harm to the fetus and neonate, other studies have disputed these findings or noted that any risks found do not exceed the risk of congenital problems found in 1% to 3% of neonates in the general population.

Pregnancy loss.

Women who lose desired pregnancies by miscarriage, stillbirth, or genetic termination are at risk of suffering from grief, anxiety, guilt and self-blame that may even present in subsequent pregnancies. It is important to find effective means of helping women deal with these losses. The approach to stillbirth has shifted from immediately removing the child from the mother to encouraging the parents to view and hold the baby.

Stalking by patients: doctors' experiences in a Canadian urban area (Part II)--physician responses.

Stalking involves recurrent unwanted communication, harassment, and intrusive behaviors. The aim of this study was to examine physicians' experiences of being stalked by their patients, with particular attention to the emotional impact on the physicians and their actions taken. A questionnaire designed to study the nature and the impact of stalking experiences among physicians was sent to 3159 randomly chosen physicians in the Greater Toronto Area.

Treatment of schizophrenia in pregnancy and postpartum.

Background: The prime age of onset for schizophrenia in women is during the childbearing years from ages 25-35. 50-60% of these women will become pregnant; fifty percent of these pregnancies will be unplanned or unwanted. Discontinuation of medication will likely lead to a relapse of the illness during pregnancy or postpartum.

Stalking by patients: doctors' experiences in a Canadian urban area.

Stalking involves recurrent unwanted communication, harassment, and intrusive behaviors. The aim of this study was to examine doctors' experiences of being stalked by their patients in a Canadian urban area. A questionnaire designed to study the nature and prevalence of stalking experiences among physicians was sent to 3159 randomly chosen physicians in the Greater Toronto Area.

Dilemmas related to pregnancy loss.

Women who lose desired pregnancies by miscarriage, stillbirth, genetic termination, or unsuccessful in vitro fertilization are at risk of suffering from grief, anxiety, guilt, and self-blame that may even present in subsequent pregnancies. A review of the literature reveals the dilemmas about effective means of helping women deal with these losses. The approach to stillbirth has shifted from immediately removing the child from the mother to encouraging viewing and holding the baby.

Traditional postpartum practices and rituals: clinical implications.

Objectives: In many cultures, postpartum rituals are observed because they are believed to have beneficial mental health effects. Our systematic review examines the research literature investigating the effects of postpartum rituals on postpartum depression (PPD) to determine if the rituals protect against PPD.

Methods: MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library were searched (from 1966 to October 31, 2008).

Is there an "abortion trauma syndrome"? Critiquing the evidence.

The objective of this review is to identify and illustrate methodological issues in studies used to support claims that induced abortion results in an "abortion trauma syndrome" or a psychiatric disorder. After identifying key methodological issues to consider when evaluating such research, we illustrate these issues by critically examining recent empirical studies that are widely cited in legislative and judicial testimony in support of the existence of adverse psychiatric sequelae of induced abortion. Recent studies that have been used to assert a causal connection between abortion and subsequent mental disorders are marked by methodological problems that include, but not limited to: poor sample and comparison group selection; inadequate conceptualization and control of relevant variables; poor quality and lack of clinical significance of outcome measures; inappropriateness of statistical analyses; and errors of interpretation, including misattribution of causal effects.

Gender issues in depression.

Background: Gender differences in depression have been documented for many years and thought to be insignificant to treatment selection until recently.

Methods: This article reviews gender differences in the prevalence, presentation, etiology, and antidepressant treatment of depressive disorders.

Results: The high female to male sex ratio in the prevalence of depression, especially during the reproductive years, is one of the most replicated findings in epidemiology.

Traditional postpartum practices and rituals: a qualitative systematic review.

Many cultures around the world observe specific postpartum rituals to avoid ill health in later years. This qualitative systematic review examined the literature describing traditional postpartum practices from 51 studies in over 20 different countries. Commonalities were identified in practices across cultures.

Stresses on women physicians: consequences and coping techniques.

We review current data on types of stressors acting on women physicians, the consequences of these stressors and methods of coping with them. We undertook a systematic review of original articles published in the last 15 years and registered mainly on Medline and on the internet websites focusing on these issues. In addition to the pressures acting on all physicians, women physicians face specific stressors related to discrimination, lack of role models and support, role strain, and overload.