Sexual Aspects of Mental Health Disturbances in Pregnancy and Young Parenthood

Abstract

This chapter will address the various mental health disturbances that can happen in the period between aiming at conception, pregnancy, childbirth, and the first postpartum year. Whereas some women with a psychiatric disease would like to become mothers, other women develop mental health disturbances as a direct result of reproductive changes. The important ones are depression during pregnancy, peripartum anxiety and tocophobia, postpartum blues, postpartum depression, and, in some women, postpartum psychosis. Those mental health disturbances impact the woman’s sexuality, her partner’s sexuality, and the relationship. When drug therapy is required, we must pay extra attention to the risks for the unborn and breastfed baby. On the other hand, psychiatric medication has extensive sexual side effects. The chapter uses several case histories to demonstrate the clinical impact and potential solutions for these challenging situations. This chapter is part of ‘Midwifery and Sexuality’, a Springer Nature open-access textbook for midwives and related healthcare professionals.