Women are more
susceptible to mood disorders and depression during hormonal transitions,
such as pregnancy, postpartum and perimenopause, according to a new report
by the Society for Women's Health Research, a Washington, D.C.-based
advocacy organization, released at a media briefing held at the Palace
Hotel in New York City.
The report summarizes a June 2007 thought leaders' roundtable of eight
national experts convened by the Society and the National Institute of
Mental Health to discuss current efforts to understand the effects of
hormonal transitions on mood disorders in women and to make recommendations
for future research.
"Women need to be critically aware of changes in their moods during key
life cycle events," said Sherry Marts, Ph.D. and vice president of
scientific affairs for the Society. "The roundtable kicked off a much
needed discussion about the relationship between hormonal transitions and
mood disorders. Through the media briefing and the publishing of this
report we hope to generate a broader understanding of how we can use this
knowledge to improve health outcomes for women."
Leading women's health experts and roundtable participants Peter
Schmidt, M.D., an investigator in the National Institute of Mental Health's
Reproductive Endocrine Studies Unit, and Zachary Stowe, M.D., an associate
professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and gynecology and
obstetrics at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Ga.,
reconvened at the briefing to discuss their research findings detailed in
the report. They were joined on the briefing panel by Meir Steiner, M.D.,
Ph.D., a professor of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences, obstetrics
and gynecology at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Marts
moderated the session.
The panelists noted that while it is natural for women to experience
changes in their feelings and mood during life cycle transitions, hormonal
fluctuations in some women may trigger mild to severe mood disorders such
as depression and bipolar disorder, particularly during pregnancy,
postpartum and perimenopause. The report notes that postpartum depression
affects 10-15 percent of women any time from a month to a year after
childbirth and its cause remains unknown. Researchers suspect that the
dramatic shifts in hormone levels during pregnancy and immediately
afterward may result in chemical changes in the brain leading to postpartum
depression. Similarly, perimenopause transitions in women may also increase
risk of depression, and subsequently could lead to cardiovascular
mortality.
"Science has revealed clues as to why these changes may occur in some
women but further research is needed to definitively show what causes
depression and mood disorders in women during hormonal transitions," said
Schmidt. "The report outlines directions for further research, as
recommended by myself and the roundtable participants."
According to the report, areas of research that need further
exploration include:
-- Pregnancy: Research is needed to better distinguish symptoms of
depression from normal responses to the stressful experiences of
pregnancy.
-- Postpartum: Registries of collected reproductive safety information
on antidepressant, antipsychotic and anticonvulsant medications
must be created.
-- Perimenopause: Research is needed to uncover the susceptibility
markers that predict which women are at risk for developing
depression during perimenopause.
In addition to the report, the Society unveiled at the briefing a new
national survey of physicians and consumers about their views regarding
depression across hormonal transitions. The survey found that women
underestimate depression risk at hormonal transitions throughout life.
Additionally, women and doctors have widely divergent opinions on whether
women can safely take medications for depression during pregnancy and in
the postpartum period.
The full report, survey results and additional information about mood
disorders and their relation to hormonal changes in women can be found at
the Society's Web site, womenshealthresearch.
The thought leaders' roundtable was supported by the Marjorie Kovler
Fund and the Jennifer Mudd Houghtaling Postpartum Depression Foundation.
The media briefing and satellite media tour were supported by Wyeth
Pharmaceuticals, a division of Wyeth that has leading products in the areas
of women's health care, cardiovascular disease, central nervous system,
inflammation, hemophilia, oncology and vaccines.
The Society for Women's Health Research is the nation's only
not-for-profit organization whose mission is to improve the health of all
women through research, education and advocacy. Founded in 1990, the
Society brought to national attention the need for the appropriate
inclusion of women in major medical research studies and the need for more
information about conditions affecting women disproportionately,
predominately, or differently than men. The Society advocates increased
funding for research on women's health; encourages the study of sex
differences that may affect the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of
disease; promotes the inclusion of women in medical research studies; and
informs women, providers, policy makers and media about contemporary
women's health issues. Visit the Society's Web site at
womenshealthresearch for more information.
Society for Women's Health Research
womenshealthresearch