Lithium Level During Pregnancy & Postpartum
Pregnancy and the postpartum period are profound experiences in a woman’s life, marked by numerous physical and emotional changes. For women who manage bipolar disorder or other mood disorders with lithium therapy, these times can bring unique challenges. The delicate balance between ensuring the well-being of both the mother and the baby while managing a mental health condition calls for careful attention, and one crucial aspect of this is the monitoring of lithium levels.
Lithium is effective in stabilizing mood swings and preventing manic and depressive episodes. However, during pregnancy and postpartum, the dynamics of lithium in the body change significantly, making it essential to closely monitor its levels to ensure the safety of both the mother and the developing fetus or newborn.
Let’s answer this clinically relevant question first:
Answer: None of the above.
- Lithium is known to reduce during the pregnancy and is known to increase during the postpartum period.
Here is one slide from academy’s journal club discussion:
Balancing the treatment of bipolar disorder with the safety of a developing fetus or newborn is a complex task. Monitoring lithium levels during pregnancy and postpartum is essential to ensure the well-being of both the mother and the child.
Psychiatry Education Forum Academy has discussed this clinically relevant topic in our following journal club discussion:
Lithium Use During Pregnancy & Postpartum:
Understanding Efficacy & Safety
This discussion will be summarized in the following sections:
- Understanding Bipolar Disorder in Women.
- Mood stabilizers use during pregnancy.
- Lithium & risk of Spontaneous Abortion.
- Lithium & risk of Preterm Birth & Low Birth Weight.
- Lithium & risk of Any Congenital Anomaly.
- Lithium & risk of Cardiac Anomalies.
- Role of Lithium in Relapse Prevention.
- Comparing this study (Am J Psychiatry 177:2, Jan 2020) with: Lancet Psychiatry. 2018 Aug;5(8):644-652.
- Managing Lithium Dose during pregnancy & postpartum.
- How to minimize Neonatal Complications?
- Lithium Level changes during pregnancy & postpartum.
- Comparing Risks & Benefits in your clinical decision-making during discussions with patients.
Lithium Use During Pregnancy & Postpartum: Understanding Efficacy & Safety
Psychiatry Education Forum’s Journal Club is an additional feature for our Academy’s members. Many of these journal club discussions will help you with ABPN’s ABCC Pathway track:
ABPN’S Article Based Continuing Certification (ABCC) Pathway Track
This new Article Based Continuing Certification (ABCC) Pathway is an ongoing professional journal article-based assessment activity designed by ABPN (American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology) for physicians to meet their Continuing Certification program requirement.
In our journal club discussions, we will discuss these articles from this ABCC track in a clinically relevant fashion. This will help you answer the multiple-choice questions on ABPN’s website to get the credits for each article discussion.
INTERESTED IN ACCESS TO SIMILAR CLINICALLY RELEVANT LECTURE SERIES?
JOIN PSYCHIATRY EDUCATION FORUM ACADEMY MEMBERSHIP
This is a closed membership for medical professionals only.
- 30+ Courses/Sections: Each chapter within these sections is of direct clinical relevance for your daily practice.
- Journal Club: we will post the most recently published psychiatry articles relevant to your daily clinical practice.
- Coffee Club: contain short discussions with clinical experts in the field of psychiatry.
- Discussion Forum & Community: Connect with other medical professionals and discuss your difficult-to-treat clinical cases.
- Essentials of Inpatient Psychiatry Book: All chapters from this book are included in the academy sections.
- Goal: is to have all important clinically relevant topics in one place for ease of access.
JOIN ACADEMY MEMBERSHIP:
DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE FOR: Residents & Students ONLY.
Email us your student information (program information and way to confirm your student status) to: HSingh@PsychiatryEducationForum.com
