Approximately 30% of women experience some type of anxiety disorder during their lifetime. Women with these disorders may experience profound changes in their symptoms during pregnancy and the postpartum period. In addition, some evidence exists that anxiety disorders can affect pregnancy outcomes. It is important that physicians understand the course of these disorders during pregnancy and available treatments so they can appropriately counsel women who are or intend to become pregnant. This article reviews the literature on the course of anxiety disorders during pregnancy and the postpartum period and presents guidelines for management.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.