Mother’s Little Helpers: The Effects of Diazepam and Chronic Fluoxetine on Anxiety Differs in Nulliparous and Primiparous Rats

Abstract

1 in 5 mothers experience an onset of anxiety after giving birth yet anxiety medications are typically only tested in male or virgin female animals. This is problematic because motherhood changes brain regions on which these drugs act. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine two common pharmacological treatments of anxiety, a benzodiazepine and a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, on animal models of anxiety in females pre- and post-motherhood.