Perinatal OCD may also be referred to as postpartum OCD or maternal/parental OCD. Perinatal OCD takes place during pregnancy and the postpartum period. It involves upsetting and unwanted intrusive thoughts, images, and repetitive impulses. It produces anxiety, and then a person may engage in repetitive behaviors, known as compulsions, which offer temporary relief (IOCDF, 2023). A mix of hormonal and medical factors causes perinatal OCD, and environmental factors influence it (IOCDF, 2023). A prior diagnosis of OCD increases the likelihood that a female will experience perinatal OCD during or after pregnancy. Perinatal OCD can affect 2-3% of women. However, these numbers may be higher as it is often misdiagnosed as postpartum anxiety or postpartum psychosis (IOCDF, 2023).
Common Obsessions:
- Fears of harm and contamination coming to baby.
- Fears around poisoning (intentionally or unintentionally) baby
- Fears that the baby will stop breathing
- Fears that the parent may harm the baby (VonWiefand & VonWiegand, 2023)
Common compulsions:
- Lots of baby-checking
- Lots of baby-checking apps (diaper changes, sleep, bottles)
- Staying up to make sure baby is breathing
- Avoiding tasks
- Sending the pediatrician lots of messages on MyChart
- Restricting lots of food and drinks during pregnancy and breastfeeding for free of the effects on the baby
Common Consequences:
- Exhaustion
- Isolation
- Depression
- Panic attacks
Treatment:
- Exposure with response prevention (ERP) is the gold standard for treatment.
- Exposure refers to intentionally exposing yourself to things that make a person anxious (skipping tracking a diaper change on the diaper change logging app) and response prevention (confessing to a partner that I didn’t log that diaper change).
- All of this is done with the guidance of a trained, licensed therapist.
International OCD Foundation (2023, April 28). What is Perinatal OCD? IOCDF. Retrieved June 12, 2024, from https://iocdf.org/perinatal-ocd/what-is-perinatal-ocd/.
VonWiegand, A., VonWiegand H. (2023, August 4). Tailored Exposures for Specific OCD Themes [Conference presentation]. The Knowledge Tree, Atlanta, GA, United States https://www.theknowledgetree.org.
