Coping With Depression While Pregnant

Several new studies have been released on how to treat depression in pregnant women and question the advisability of using antidepressants. What should women who are taking antidepressants do if they want to become pregnant? What about the woman who are suffering from the depressing disease of infertility? Two of the researchers will be our guest to walk us through the risks and options: Dr. Adam Urato, with Tufts Medical Center and Dr. Alice Domar, Executive Director of the Domar Center for Mind/Body Health at Boston IVF, an assistant professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive biology at Harvard Medical School, and a senior staff psychologist in the department of ob/gyn at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Listen
Hit the Highlights
  • Is there a difference between situational depression and clinical depression?
  • What is an adjustment disorder?
  • How do antidepressants work?
  • Do antidepressants raise the serotonin levels in the brain?
  • What are the symptoms of severe or clinical depression? How can you tell is you are clinically depressed?
  • Does talk therapy work?
  • What type of therapy has research shown to be effective at treating depression?
  • How can you find a counselor, psychologist, or therapist that is trained in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)?
  • What are the different types of antidepressants?
  • How do a woman’s emotions during pregnancy affect the fetus?
  • What are the risks of antidepressant use during pregnancy?
  • How do antidepressants affect the unborn child?
  • What are the potential long term risks to a child who was exposed to antidepressants during gestation (in pregnancy or in utero)?
  • Are there benefits to antidepressant use during pregnancy?
  • Other than therapy, what are other ways to treat depression?
  • Is acupuncture an effective treatment for depression?
  • Has yoga been shown to reduce symptoms of depression during pregnancy?