Mothers Needed For Study Of Estradiol Skin Patch To Treat Postpartum Depression

Mothers Needed For Study Of Estradiol Skin Patch To Treat Postpartum Depression

One of each seven women who give birth perform the operations indicated in postpartum depression. To help these women, researchers at the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC (WPIC) and Magee-Womens Research Institute, are seeking mothers between the ages of 18 and 45 to share in a one-of-a-sympathetic study to determine if depression in the three months later than childbirth can be treated with the hormone estrogen. In an attempt to increase treatment options toward new mothers , the researchers hope to teach that hormone treatment is effective.

Female lifecycle periods of hormonal shifting, such as the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, postpartum and menopause are associated with depression. With evidence of an estrogen-frame of mind association for depression in women, pleased attention in estradiol therapy has grown. "Postpartum greater depression is a disorder that is specifically well-suited for tests of estradiol management because depression occurs during a large-scale estrogen withdrawal after childbirth," notes Katherine L. Wisner, M.D., M.S., employer investigator of the study and monitor of the Women's Behavioral HealthCARE program at WPIC. "Estradiol, the physiologic hormone produced through the ovary, may be more agreeable to women who prefer natural treatments."

Participation in the study involves touch with study staff, either by telephone or in human frame, for eight weeks. After the pristine visit, mothers will be randomly assigned to hold their first dose of estrogen (delivered at the same time that an estradiol skin patch), the antidepressant medication Zoloft or a placebo. Women who rejoin to treatment will continue in the study since an additional 20 weeks.

All women who are evaluated in the place of the study receive psychiatric assessment, meeting for deliberation with treatment recommendations, and a survey of mental health care options, whether they decide to partake in the study or not. These services are by stipulation free of charge by an internationally recognized team of perinatal psychiatry specialists. All participants wish receive information on breastfeeding, childcare according to appointments and study medication without require to be paid.

Participants can earn up to $315 in reparation if all scheduled visits are completed. Compensation during transportation, including bus tickets or parking require to be paid, also will be provided. The study is supported ~ the agency of a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health.