Women's Mental Health

Reproductive Psychiatry

Hormonal changes that take place during the reproductive years can trigger emotional and physical symptoms in some women. The US Department of Health and Human Services estimates that 75 percent of women with regular menstrual cycles report unpleasant physical or psychological symptoms, premenstrually. For most women, these symptoms are mild. But for some women, these symptoms can be disabling and may cause significant disruption in their lives.

NewYork-Presbyterian provides advanced evaluation and treatment of psychiatric disorders associated with female reproductive function, including premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), pregnancy-associated mood disturbance, postpartum depression, and peri- and post-menopausal depression.

Our Approach to Reproductive Psychiatry

At NewYork-Presbyterian, we have several programs focused on problems that occur during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy and the postpartum period, and in the course of parenting. Our experts provide diagnostic evaluations, treatment consultations, and medication management for mental health issues that are unique to women — such as pregnancy loss, infertility, and postpartum mood disorders.

The Women’s Program in the Columbia University Department of Psychiatry is a comprehensive clinical program that focuses on the emotional distress and psychiatric symptoms that women may experience through the course of the reproductive life cycle. In collaboration with our colleagues in the Division of Child Psychiatry and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Women’s Program provides evaluation and treatment for women for problems such as depression and anxiety during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy and the postpartum period, and the onset of menopause. Our experts also help women to manage the emotional issues that arise with infertility, pregnancy loss, and in the course of parenting.

The Women’s Clinic. The Payne Whitney Women's Program in the Department of Psychiatry at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center provides comprehensive care for mental health concerns that are unique to women. The program offers state-of-the-art consultation for pregnancy and postpartum, pregnancy loss and infertility, premenstrual mood disorders, and menopause, and a variety of treatment options.

Next Generation Therapeutic Care through Research

Research forges progress. The researchers and physicians at NewYork-Presbyterian are persistently progressing our understanding of the role of nutrition and stress on expectant mothers and their babies. Working in close collaboration with two Ivy League institutions — Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and Weill Cornell Medicine — we recognize the effects of high stress and poor nutrition on cognitive development in the fetus and the child. Through this research, we can get a greater understanding of how current behaviors will impact mothers and their children in the future.

Find out how you can help forge the future of medicine, visit our clinical trials section.

Appointments & Referrals

Our inpatient and outpatient programs are run by highly skilled psychiatrists and psychologists with sub-specialty training in areas ranging from addiction to sleep disorders. To learn more about our inpatient services or to be admitted for inpatient treatment, please call 888-694-5700. To learn more about our outpatient services or to find a psychiatrist, please call 877-NYP-WELL.

Please note, if this is an emergency, please dial 9-1-1 or visit your local emergency department. For free and confidential support from trained mental health professionals, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or NYC Well at 888-NYC-WELL (888-692-9355).

Refer A Patient

At NewYork-Presbyterian, we treat a diverse patient population. Clinicians in private practice or at other hospitals are welcome to refer their patient to NewYork-Presbyterian. Please call 888-694-5700 to arrange a referral.