{"id":7495,"date":"2026-09-10T11:09:54","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T10:09:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/schizophrenia.life\/public\/?page_id=7495"},"modified":"2026-09-11T06:49:55","modified_gmt":"2026-09-11T05:49:55","slug":"candid-book-3-chapter-5","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/schizophrenia.life\/public\/candid-book-3-chapter-5\/","title":{"rendered":"Candid book 3 – Chapter 5"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Chapter 5<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fertility, reproductive health, and family planning when living with schizophrenia<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This chapter turns to the practical and personal questions that arise when people living with schizophrenia think about fertility and having children. It explores how reproductive health, contraception, pregnancy planning, and postpartum care can be approached through informed choices, coordinated medical support, and respect for each person\u2019s own timing and life goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Download the chapter<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Mini-Glossary<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emotional availability:<\/mark><\/strong> The ability to be present with someone else\u2019s feelings without withdrawing or becoming
overwhelmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mutuality:<\/mark><\/strong> The sense that both partners contribute emotionally, even in uneven proportions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Attachment security:<\/mark><\/strong> The sense of feeling valued and safe within a close relationship. This sense of security may
fluctuate during periods of illness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Relational boundaries:<\/mark><\/strong> Healthy distinctions between roles, such as partner vs caregiver, and between
illness-related needs vs personal needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Social cognition:<\/mark><\/strong> The brain\u2019s ability to understand emotions, facial expressions, tone, and intentions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Co-regulation:<\/mark><\/strong> Two people helping each other calm down emotionally through presence, tone, and
predictable interactions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Relational resilience:<\/mark><\/strong> A couple\u2019s ability to maintain connection through stress, misunderstanding, and recovery
periods<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Welcome to podcast #5<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fertility, reproductive health, and family planning when living with schizophrenia<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

with Elena Maurer<\/strong>, Health Journalist, and
Dr. Lukas Stein<\/strong>, Psychiatrist and Researcher<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elena:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In our previous conversations, we explored how body image, physical health, and treatment can shape intimacy, confidence, and relationships.

For many people, as stability grows, another question naturally appears:

What about the future? What about having children?<\/em>

Thank you, Dr. Stein, for joining us.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Dr. Stein:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thank you, Elena. These are important and very personal questions for many families.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Subchapter 1.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can fertility be affected in schizophrenia?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Subchapter 2.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do hormones influence reproductive health?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Subchapter 3.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is contraception an important part of care?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Subchapter 4.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can pregnancy be planned safely?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Subchapter 5.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why do partners sometimes feel out of sync in their lives and expectations?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Clinical Story<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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References<\/h5><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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Montejo AL, Montejo L, Baldwin DS. The impact of severe mental disorders and psychotropic medications on sexual health and its implications for clinical management. World Psychiatry. 2018;17(1):3-11.<\/p>

Gonz\u00e1lez-Rodr\u00edguez A, Monreal JA, Natividad M, Cobo J, Palacios-Hern\u00e1ndez B, Susser LC. Reproductive and Fertility Care of Women with Schizophrenia: A Narrative Review. Healthcare. 2025;13(18):2349.<\/p>

Sisodia S, Hammond Z, Leonardi-Bee J, Hanlon C, Asher L. Sexual and reproductive health needs of women with severe mental illness in low- and middle-income countries: A scoping review. PloS one. 2025;20(1):e0311554.<\/p>

Tort-Nasarre G, Galbany-Estragu\u00e9s P, Saz Roy M\u00c1, Romeu-Labayen M. Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare Provided to Women Diagnosed with Serious Mental Illness: Healthcare Professionals\u2019 Perspectives. Nursing Reports. 2025;15(4):119.<\/p>

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Antenatal and postnatal mental health:clinical management and service guidance [Internet]. London: NICE; 2014 [updated 2025; cited 2026 Aug 21].<\/p>

Kang S, Yang JS, Yun BH, Gelaye B, An SK, Jung SJ. Antipsychotic continuation during pregnancy and risk of postpartum relapse in women with schizophrenia: nationwide register-based study. The British journal of psychiatry: the journal of mental science. 2025;227(3):614-621<\/p>

Herold R, T\u00e9nyi T, Herold M, T\u00f3th T. Cariprazine maintenance treatment during pregnancy \u2013 a case report. Frontiers in Psychiatry. 2024;15:1421395<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chapter 5 Fertility, reproductive health, and family planning when living with schizophrenia This chapter turns to the practical and personal questions that arise when people living with schizophrenia think about fertility and having children. It explores how reproductive health, contraception, pregnancy planning, and postpartum care can be approached through informed choices, coordinated medical support, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-sod.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"rea_page_title_signed_in_meta_block_field":"","rea_page_title_signed_out_meta_block_field":"","rea_page_description_signed_in_meta_block_field":"","rea_page_description_signed_out_meta_block_field":"","rea_page_footer_id_meta_block_field":"","rea_page_footer_date_meta_block_field":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-7495","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/schizophrenia.life\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7495","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/schizophrenia.life\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/schizophrenia.life\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/schizophrenia.life\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/schizophrenia.life\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7495"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/schizophrenia.life\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7495\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8101,"href":"https:\/\/schizophrenia.life\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7495\/revisions\/8101"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/schizophrenia.life\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7495"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}