Neurotic Disorders Associated with Menstruation Pregnancy, and the Postpartum Period

This chapter reviews the etiology of neurotic disorders specifically associated with menstruation, pregnancy, and the postpartum period, focusing on the evidence for a biological contribution and on the relevance of such a contribution to the development of management strategies. The Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) has been the subject of extensive investigation, yet continues to be a confusing and controversial diagnostic entity. The role of steroid hormones in dysmenorrhea is less clear, although it is well recognized that, unlike PMS, primary dysmenorrhea occurs almost exclusively in ovulatory menstrual cycles. The menopause is merely an event occurring within the climacteric, indicating that estrogen deficiency has reached a critical point. Anxiety states in pregnancy usually reflect the mother's concern about the impending delivery and the physical well-being of the child. Pseudocyesis is a condition in which the physiological and psychological concomitants of pregnancy are present in the absence of the true gravid state.