ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews how becoming a mother transforms the nervous system and body. A solid body of research on trauma, in general, is established, but trauma must be understood in a different light when building a framework for the treatment of trauma in the perinatal period. This chapter offers a presentation and discussion of the many overlaps between reproductive biology, PMADs, and trauma, which indicate highly complex psychobiological interactions that must be carefully analyzed when developing clinical interventions. Mammalian biology requires adjustments of the autonomic nervous system patterns in response to taking care of a young. When these adjustments collide with trauma – whether pre-existing or occurring in relation to the perinatal transition – a highly vulnerable situation emerges, likely causing an increased vulnerability for PMADs. A theory of possible causal loops of the interactions between perinatal trauma, reproductive biology, and PMADs is presented, followed by a discussion of clinical implications.
