111 – Can hormones help postpartum psychosis?

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Can hormones help postpartum psychosis? Why the fall in estrogen and progesterone after birth is so often overlooked. Jade Lloyd had her daughter in December 2020 after a three-day labour. Within months she was living with anxiety, intrusive thoughts and suicidal feelings, and when she asked her health visitor for help she was told to have a glass of wine, some chocolate and a bath. Weeks later she had her first psychotic episode and was admitted to a mother and baby unit, yet hormones were never once mentioned as part of her treatment. Jade, now a maternal mental health advocate, talks to Dr Louise Newson about recovery, relapse and why her GP said it wasn't normal for a 32-year-old to…