Women's Reproductive Mental Health

Many women experience mood changes after delivering a baby. You’ve probably heard of the “baby blues”. This feeling takes over many new mothers for a few hours to a couple of weeks post-delivery. But, up to 30% of women experience mood and emotional changes beyond the baby blues. When you start having significant depression or anxiety in the postpartum period, you may have Postpartum Depression or Postpartum Anxiety.

 Persistent feelings of sadness, guilt and even worthlessness are not uncommon, and the grief can cause things like anxiety, marital problems, sleep problems, mood swings, and changes in appetite. Coping with infertility or pregnancy loss can be overwhelming, particularly if you don’t know where to start or who to ask for help.  If you’re having trouble getting through your daily life, it may be time to seek professional support.

If you are facing a high-risk pregnancy it can feel like a rollercoaster of stress, anxiety and fear.  If you are pregnant and diagnosed with gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, carry multiples, or have a chronic medical condition, chances are you may be flooded with negative emotions that can create even greater risk for your pregnancy.   As you are waiting for your baby you deserve to have a peaceful mind. A psychologist with expertise in the area of pregnancy can help you improve your quality of life and perhaps even increase your chances of having a better pregnancy and healthy baby. 

Family planning refers to the decision to have a child, or the decision to add additional children to your family. There are many factors that can weight into this decision including how many children you would like, the timing and spacing between having children, and many other factors during pregnancy, pre-pregnancy, and post-pregnancy.  Navigating all of the physical, mental, and emotional aspects that go into the decision to have a family can be overwhelming.   Deciding to start a family is a decision that should not be taken lightly, and our therapists can guide you towards making decisions that will be good for the mental health of your entire family.

Couple's counseling can help reduce stress before, during and after birth.  You might be struggling as a couple with infertility or due to a high risk pregnancy. Or perhaps your pregnancy is normal, but you’re worried about the baby anyway.  Maybe your concern is your ability to cope as a couple with a new baby after it is born. Perhaps there is conflict in your relationship while you’re pregnant or now that your baby is home.  Therapy can also be extremely helpful in addressing sexual intimacy issues during infertility, while pregnant and after having a baby. Couples therapy during pregnancy and after birth

can help set expectations about parenting, help you both feel more relaxed,

and feel more connected to your partner.  

Many new parents may feel overwhelmed, sad, or anxious. If becoming a parent is more challenging than you expected, talking with one of our trained therapists about your feelings can be helpful. Let us provide you with a supportive atmosphere where you can talk about the challenges of new baby care, as well as the emotional ups and downs of new motherhood. Our mission is to provide you with support for making the most out of your journey as you become a parent.

Birth trauma is the physical or emotional distress that a mother undergoes during the birth of their child.  It can also include the various parts of their pregnancy journey, including but not limited to the act of birth.  Birth trauma refers to how the mother is left feeling due to the labor and delivery. Birth trauma can emerge immediately during the event or develop sometime after the event. Unfortunately, birth trauma is often missed, especially if the overall outcome is considered "good." This means that emotional trauma can be overlooked when the only goal is a healthy mom and baby.  Birth trauma therapy can help you deal with the emotional effects of birth or  if you experienced difficulties during childbirth, such as difficulty giving birth, feeling pressure or pain, or having an emergency C-section. 

When the medical issues a woman experiences affect her ability to conceive, a profound sense of shock, loss and anxiety may follow. Other issues, such as incontinence or premenstrual syndrome, affect the ability to feel at ease and carefree in the body and have other distressing psychological consequences.

As you face these complicated emotions and experiences, it is understandable to feel at a loss about how to cope with them. Psychotherapy provides an important outlet for the many feelings that you may be in touch with. It is a supportive space in which you can figure out how to navigate and manage your condition.

While the menopausal transition is a normal part of aging, some women find that it is a distressing time accompanied by mood swings, irritability, hot flashes, trouble sleeping, and sexual difficulties such as painful intercourse. The hormonal fluctuations leading up to menopause put women at a heightened risk of depression. Combined with the fact that in their forties women often experience other significant life stressors and events, such as having aging parents, adolescent children, and career-related issues, the perimenopausal chapter in any woman’s life can feel like an emotional rollercoaster.  Psychotherapy can be very helpful in navigating these changes.