This is really encouraging, but I think there is still a high barrier. My friends in the US seem to have had very similar experiences to me in australia - I was asked once at my 6-week check to...
This is really encouraging, but I think there is still a high barrier. My friends in the US seem to have had very similar experiences to me in australia - I was asked once at my 6-week check to fill in a questionnaire about depression. That was the full extent of my care. This is really something that should be checked at each appointment that the baby has; doctors are missing so many chances to check in with the parents. For me, PPD and PPA started after that 6-week check, and I didn’t ask for help because I just thought everyone felt crappy like that.
We really need an entire overhaul of how postpartum women are cared for medically. (And societally, in the case of the US, but that’s a much bigger conversation!)
Interesting to see a neurosteroid for depression. I'd be concerned about this though...
Interesting to see a neurosteroid for depression. I'd be concerned about this though...
Available data from a clinical lactation study in 14 women indicate that zuranolone is present in
low levels in human milk (see Data). There are no data on the effects of zuranolone on a
breastfed infant and limited data on the effects on milk production.
The developmental and health benefits of breastfeeding should be considered along with the
mother’s clinical need for ZURZUVAE and any potential adverse effects on the breastfed child
from ZURZUVAE or from the underlying maternal condition.
Treatment options for postpartum depression have included counseling or therapy with a mental health professional and antidepressant medications, but until Zulresso and zuranolone, no antidepressant medication had been specifically FDA-approved to treat postpartum depression. Also, antidepressant medications generally don’t provide an immediate relief of symptoms and may take several weeks to help.
In 2019, Zulresso became the first postpartum depression drug to receive FDA approval.
That treatment is administered as a single 60-hour IV drip of the drug brexanolone and was found to have mild side effects, such as headache, dizziness or excessive sleepiness, but also sudden loss of consciousness. Some women may face barriers accessing this type of treatment, as it requires 60 hours of time and must be used within a health care setting. Whereas, with zuranolone, it is a pill you can take at home.
Both brexanolone and zuranolone are versions of a naturally occurring substance in the body called allopregnanolone, a neuroactive steroid that is a metabolite of the hormone progesterone. Levels of allopregnanolone can rise dramatically during pregnancy and then abruptly drop after childbirth, potentially contributing to postpartum depression.
It makes sense that the hormone shifts are (partially) responsible for PPD, add in pain, lack of sleep, etc and it's a perfect storm. I am surprised I hadn't thought or known about hormonal...
It makes sense that the hormone shifts are (partially) responsible for PPD, add in pain, lack of sleep, etc and it's a perfect storm. I am surprised I hadn't thought or known about hormonal therapy as a treatment though! Never been pregnant and I don't work with many pregnant students at my job so I suspect that's why it hasn't been on my radar
This is really encouraging, but I think there is still a high barrier. My friends in the US seem to have had very similar experiences to me in australia - I was asked once at my 6-week check to fill in a questionnaire about depression. That was the full extent of my care. This is really something that should be checked at each appointment that the baby has; doctors are missing so many chances to check in with the parents. For me, PPD and PPA started after that 6-week check, and I didn’t ask for help because I just thought everyone felt crappy like that.
We really need an entire overhaul of how postpartum women are cared for medically. (And societally, in the case of the US, but that’s a much bigger conversation!)
Interesting to see a neurosteroid for depression. I'd be concerned about this though...
It makes sense that the hormone shifts are (partially) responsible for PPD, add in pain, lack of sleep, etc and it's a perfect storm. I am surprised I hadn't thought or known about hormonal therapy as a treatment though! Never been pregnant and I don't work with many pregnant students at my job so I suspect that's why it hasn't been on my radar