Family planning for women with bipolar disorder

Abstract

Women with bipolar disorder often ask their treating clinician for information about family planning, as they are concerned about the impact of their illness on offspring. Three areas that should be included in discussions with patients and their partners are heritability of the disorder, risks during pregnancy, and risks during the postpartum period. The author summarizes information about genetic transmission of bipolar disorder, effects on bipolar patients of stress associated with pregnancy and childrearing, and effects of medication on the fetus and newborn. Discussion of these issues is most relevant for a women patient who is planning a pregnancy, but may also be useful for couples before marriage, for a women patient who finds that she is pregnant, and for men with bipolar disorder who want to become fathers.

PIP: The familial transmission risk of developing bipolar disorder for first=degree relatives of the patient is 1.5-10.2%, however, the risk of any affective primary disorder is 15-20% in such relatives. Pregnancy places additional stress on patients, and physiological changes are particularly acute during postpartum. The risk of abnormalities and teratogenicity from psychotropic drugs is significant: taking of phenothiazines, tricyclic antidepressants, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, benzodiazepines, lithium, valproate, and clonazepam require extreme caution. In 225 pregnancies exposed to lithium in the 1st trimester congenital malformations occurred in 11%. Premature birth and macrosomia may also increase, thus halting lithium well before planned conception with weekly serum monitoring is advised. Recurrence of the illness can be managed by electroconvulsive therapy. About 40% of patients can experience postpartum mania or depression. Taking drugs up to delivery can result in behavioral teratogenesis in the neonate even in the absence of physical malformations. Lithium toxicity causes lethargy, hypotonia, tachycardia, coma, cyanosis, and chronic twitching in the newborn. Breast feeding is discouraged in women taking lithium because of the high rate of transmission to the infant. The stress of parenting can also trigger relapses of the disease. The deleterious effect of a manic or depressive mother on the child's development is manifested in criticism and stressing achievement often leads to low self-esteem. It behooves the psychiatrist to frankly reveal the risks of pregnancy to couples who wish to have a child or to advise about the pregnancy to term so they can make an informed decision.