ABSTRACT
Mood disorders are common in women and typically emerge during the childbearing years (1). With the advent of effective and well-tolerated pharmacological treatments for psychiatric disorders, a growing number of women are treated with psychotropic medications during their reproductive years. Although pregnancy has traditionally been considered to be a time of emotional well-being, recent data indicate that about 10% of women experience clinically significant depressive symptoms during pregnancy (antenatal depression) (2-5). Furthermore, women with histories of major depression appear to be at high risk for recurrent depression during pregnancy, particularly in the setting of antidepressant discontinuation (6).
