Prevalence of psychiatric disorders in infertile women and men undergoing in vitro fertilization treatment

BACKGROUND: This study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in infertile women and men undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment. METHODS: Participants were 1090 consecutive women and men, 545 couples, attending a fertility clinic in Sweden during a two-year period. The Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders (PRIME-MD), based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edn (DSM-IV), was used as the diagnostic tool for evaluating mood and anxiety disorders. RESULTS: Overall, 862 (79.1%) subjects filled in the PRIME-MD patient questionnaire. Any psychiatric diagnosis was present in 30.8 % of females and in 10.2 % of males in the study sample. Any mood disorder was present in 26.2 % of females and 9.2% of males. Major depression was the most common mood disorder, prevalent in 10.9 % of females and 5.1 % of males. Any anxiety disorder was encountered in 14.8 % of females and 4.9 % males. Only 21 % of the subjects with a psychiatric disorder according to DSM-IV received some form of treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Mood disorders are common in both women and men undergoing IVF treatment. The majority of subjects with a psychiatric disorder were undiagnosed and untreated

Neuroticism-related personality traits are related to symptom severity in patients with premenstrual dysphoric disorder and to the serotonin transporter gene-linked polymorphism 5-HTTPLPR

Neuroticism has been linked to a functional polymorphism in the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR), with short-allele carriers being overrepresented among high-scorers on neuroticism. Studies evaluating neuroticism-related personality traits in relation to the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism among patients with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) and are lacking. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between PMDD and neuroticism-related personality traits, and secondly, to relate the personality trait scores of PMDD patients to experienced symptom severity and to the 5-HTTLPR short allele. Thirty PMDD patients and 55 asymptomatic healthy controls were included in the study. The Swedish Universities Scale of Personality was used to evaluate personality traits. Genotype analyses were available in 27 PMDD patients and 18 healthy controls. Women with PMDD displayed higher levels of neuroticism-related personality traits (psychic trait anxiety, somatic trait anxiety, embitterment, stress susceptibility and mistrust) than healthy controls, and these effects were most prominent in women with more severe luteal phase symptoms. Furthermore, PMDD patients with at least one copy of the short allele of the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism scored higher on psychic trait anxiety and lack of assertiveness than PMDD patients who were homozygous for the long allele. PMDD patients who suffer from more severe luteal phase symptoms also display increased scores of neuroticism-related personality traits in comparison with healthy controls. Within the group of PMDD patients, differences in certain personality trait scores are associated with the short allele of the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism

Comparison of major depression diagnostic classification probability using the SCID, CIDI, and MINI diagnostic interviews among women in pregnancy or postpartum: An individual participant data meta-analysis

Objectives A previous individual participant data meta-analysis (IPDMA) identified differences in major depression classification rates between different diagnostic interviews, controlling for depressive symptoms on the basis of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. We aimed to determine whether similar results would be seen in a different population, using studies that administered the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) in pregnancy or postpartum. Methods Data accrued for an EPDS diagnostic accuracy IPDMA were analysed. Binomial generalised linear mixed models were fit to compare depression classification odds for the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI), and Structured Clinical Interview for DSM (SCID), controlling for EPDS scores and participant characteristics. Results Among fully structured interviews, the MINI (15 studies, 2,532 participants, 342 major depression cases) classified depression more often than the CIDI (3 studies, 2,948 participants, 194 major depression cases; adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 3.72, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.21, 11.43]). Compared with the semistructured SCID (28 studies, 7,403 participants, 1,027 major depression cases), odds with the CIDI (interaction aOR = 0.88, 95% CI [0.85, 0.92]) and MINI (interaction aOR = 0.95, 95% CI [0.92, 0.99]) increased less as EPDS scores increased. Conclusion Different interviews may not classify major depression equivalently

Antenatal depression and antidepressants during pregnancy:Unraveling the complex interactions for the offspring

During pregnancy the risk for a woman to develop a depressive episode is as high as 20%. Antenatal depression is not harmless for the developing child as several changes, including neurodevelopmental alterations, have been reported. Sometimes it is unavoidable to treat a pregnant mother with antidepressants, especially when she is suicidal. Currently, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRls) are the pharmacological choice of antidepressant treatment. SSRIs do not cause gross teratogenic alterations and are generally considered safe for use in pregnancy. However, although SSRls may relieve the maternal symptoms, they definitively cross the placenta partially influencing the neurodevelopment of the fetus. In this review an overview is given of the effects on the offspring of maternal antenatal depression and the putative neurodevelopmental effects of SSRI treatment during pregnancy. Although we primarily focus on human data, some animal data are discussed to describe possible mechanisms on how SSRls are affecting underlying biological mechanisms associated with depression. In summary, maternal depression may have long-lasting effects on the offspring, whereas prenatal SSRI exposure also increases the risk for long-lasting effects. It remains to be determined whether the effects found after SSRI treatment in pregnant women are only due to the SSRI exposure or if the underlying depression is also contributing to these effects. The possibility of epigenetic alterations as one of the underlying mechanisms that is altered by SSRI exposure is discussed. However much more research in this area is needed to explain the exact role of epigenetic mechanisms in SSRI exposure during pregnancy. (C) 2014 Elsevier BA/. All rights reserved

Safety and Efficacy of an Oxytocin Gel and an Equivalent Gel but Without Hormonal Ingredients (Vagivital (R) Gel) in Postmenopausal Women with Symptoms of Vulvovaginal Atrophy : A Randomized, Double-Blind Controlled Study

Purpose: The primary objective was to compare the efficacy of 12 weeks of daily treatment with Aqueous Hypromellose-based vaginal (Vagivital (R)) gel versus Aqueous Hypromellose-based vaginal gel plus 400 IU oxytocin gel in reducing the severity of the most bothersome vulvovaginal atrophy symptoms (MBS: itching, dysuria, bleeding, and pain/discomfort during vaginal sexual activity) observed at baseline. The secondary objectives were to evaluate the other vulvovaginal atrophy symptoms, vaginal pH, superficial squamous cells, and the safety and tolerability of both gels. Patients and Methods: This double-blind, randomized study evaluated the safety and efficacy of subjects randomly assigned to 12 weeks of daily intravaginal oxytocin gel (n=79) or Aqueous Hypromellose-based vaginal gel (n=78). The efficacy evaluation was performed using data from all included subjects who fulfilled entry criteria. Results: Both treatments induced statistically significant reductions in the severity of the MBS from baseline until 4 weeks (Vagivital mean reduction 0.90, p=0.0000; Oxytocin mean reduction 0.82, p=0.0000) and 12 weeks post baseline (Vagivital mean reduction 1.28, p=0.0000; Oxytocin mean reduction 1.16, p=0.0000), but the reduction of MBS severity was not significantly different between the treatment groups at either time point. No serious adverse events were reported in the Aqueous Hypromellose-based vaginal gel group during the treatment period, but one (breast cancer) was reported in the oxytocin gel group (assessed as unlikely related to the study compound). Conclusion: Significant reductions in the severity of the MBS were seen in both the Aqueous Hypromellose-based vaginal gel and the oxytocin gel groups, but with no significant differences in severity reduction seen between the groups. Both gels were safe and well tolerated. Given the benefits of avoiding the use of hormones, Aqueous Hypromellose-based vaginal gel is an attractive first choice in the treatment of postmenopausal women with vulvovaginal atrophy symptoms

Supraphysiological hormonal status, anxiety disorders, and COMT Val/Val genotype are associated with reduced sensorimotor gating in women

Pregnancy is a period characterized by a supraphysiological hormonal status, and greater anxiety proneness, which can lead to peripartum affective symptoms with dramatic consequences not only for the woman but also for the child. Clinical psychiatry is heavily hampered by the paucity of objective and biology-based intermediate phenotypes. Prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the startle response, a neurophysiological measure of sensorimotor gating, has been poorly investigated in relation to anxiety and in pregnant women. In the present study, the PPI of healthy non-pregnant women (n = 82) and late pregnant women (n = 217) was investigated. Age, BMI, depression and anxiety symptoms, tobacco use, and antidepressant medication were considered. We investigated and provided evidence of lower PPI: (i) in healthy pregnant women compared to healthy non-pregnant controls, (ii) in pregnant women with anxiety disorders compared to healthy pregnant women, (iii) in pregnant women with anxiety disorders using SSRI compared to un-medicated pregnant women with anxiety disorders, and (iv) in healthy pregnant women carrying the COMT Val158Met Val/Val genotype compared to Met carriers. Altogether, a reduced sensorimotor gating as an effect of supraphysiological hormonal status, anxiety disorders, SSRIs, and catecholaminergic genotype, implicate the putative relevance of lower PPI as an objective biological correlate of anxiety proneness in pregnant women. These findings call for prospective studies to dissect the multifactorial influences on PPI in relation to mental health of pregnant women. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved