Study, 2010
Does pregnancy or menstruation affect OCD symptoms?
Yes. About 1 in 3 women with OCD saw symptoms start during pregnancy or after birth. Women whose OCD began during this time are more likely to have worsening with their period.
What they did
Interviewed 126 women aged 18 to 69 with OCD from a university clinic about when OCD started and how pregnancy and periods affected their symptoms.
What they found
Of 78 women who had been pregnant, 32.1% (24 women) first developed OCD in the perinatal period. Of these, 15.4% developed OCD during pregnancy, 14.1% after childbirth, and 1.3% after miscarriage. Of 132 pregnancies total, 34.1% involved worsening of OCD symptoms, 22.0% involved improvement, and 43.9% showed no change. Women whose OCD started in the perinatal period were more likely to have worsening with their period compared to other women (66% versus 39%).
What it means for you
Pregnancy and the postpartum period seem important times for OCD to start or worsen. Having premenstrual worsening of OCD may mean a woman's OCD began around pregnancy time. This study asked women to remember past events, which can be less reliable than watching people forward over time.
32.1%
of women with prior pregnancy whose OCD started during pregnancy or after birth
34.1%
of pregnancies where OCD symptoms got worse
66% vs 39%
premenstrual worsening in perinatal-onset versus other OCD groups
About the study
- Original title
- Onset and exacerbation of obsessive-compulsive disorder in pregnancy and the postpartum period
- Authors
- Forray A, Focseneanu M, Pittman B et al.
- Journal
- The Journal of clinical psychiatry
- Year
- 2010
- Study design
- Study
- Participants
- 24
- What was tested
- None - observational study
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.4088/jcp.09m05381blu
Topics
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