HEALTHx2: patient-centered approaches for studying the effectiveness and reproductive safety of antidepressant medication in perinatal women

The HEALTHx2 project aims to generating and disseminating evidence about the effectiveness and reproductive safety of antidepressant medication in pregnancy and after childbirth. Involvement of patient stakeholders is central in the project. 

Currently, we are additionally conducting a mixed-method study to understand women’s decisional conflicts about antidepressant treatment in the perinatal period. This is an important knowledge gap to fill in order to support shared decision-making on antidepressant treatment in pregnant and breastfeeding women.

Participation in the study involves filling out an electronic questionnaire (access via ID-porten) and for some women, a focus group interview later in 2020. The project is now seeking participants to address this latter research question, as outline in the figure below. Pregnant women, women who gave birth in the last 5 years, and women planning a pregnancy, can participate. Women must have been offered treatment with an antidepressant in the last 5 years to be eligible.

Delta i HEALTHx2 studie

 

The project will provide the evidence base for important clinical decisions: whether to treat a perinatal psychiatric disorder or no. It will also facilitate women empowerment in developing an evidence-based understanding of the benefits and risks of perinatal use of antidepressants.