Supporting Women’s Mental Health in the Reproductive Years
Women experience unique hormonal shifts that can influence their mental well-being. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that women can experience mental health conditions during their reproductive years.
“Pregnant and lactating women used to be considered a special population of people seeking psychiatric care,” says Dr. Alison Hermann, assistant attending psychiatrist at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and assistant professor of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College. “Now, the majority of people who seek mental health services are pregnant, recently pregnant or planning a pregnancy.”
There is a critical need for a specialized approach to women’s mental well-being during these life stages, and the care providers at Weill Cornell Medicine are working to improve access to this type of care.
The Root and Types of Reproductive Mental Health Issues
Your reproductive years begin with menstruation and end at menopause. Over those years, your hormones are in flux with every menstrual cycle. These frequent hormonal shifts can affect your mental health, leading to various challenges.
Mental health issues women may face during the reproductive years include:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Peri-menopausal depression
- Postpartum depression (PPD)
- Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), a more serious form of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) that may only cause symptoms in the second half of the menstrual cycle
Helping to Manage Your Mental Health
Depending on your condition, you may benefit from one or both of the following:
- Medication. Prescription medication can help limit symptoms of depression, anxiety and other conditions experienced during the reproductive years. Many of these medications are also safe to use while pregnant or breastfeeding.
- Therapy. By working with a therapist, you gain tools that change how you think. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), for example, can be highly effective for conditions such as PMDD and mental health issues that may arise during fertility treatments.
Weill Cornell Medicine also offers psychiatry care created especially for women going in their reproductive years.
“We provide various levels of care,” says Dr. Lauren M. Osborne, associate attending psychiatrist at Weill Cornell Medicine and associate professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and associate professor of psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College. “Our most complex patients even have access to a reproductive psychiatrist.”
Better Detection and Education
While 20 percent of women experience mental health issue surrounding the birth of their child, most never get care, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. In fact, many never receive a diagnosis.
Weill Cornell Medicine experts hope to change this. Our team of reproductive psychiatry experts teach OBGYNs and other providers to recognize and care for mild to moderate reproductive psychiatric issues. They also train future reproductive psychiatrists and reach providers through the National Curriculum in Reproductive Psychiatry.
Co-founded by Dr. Osborne, the National Curriculum in Reproductive Psychiatry is an online curriculum serving in-depth information on reproductive psychiatry. Providers with mental health backgrounds turn to the curriculum to improve care for women during the reproductive years.
“Anybody experiencing mood or anxiety symptoms at a time of reproductive transition should see a reproductive psychiatrist,” Dr. Osborne said. “It’s important to work with some sort of specialist in this area, because it can be so complex.”
Not feeling yourself? Find a doctor at Weill Cornell Medicine who is an expert in women’s reproductive mental health.