The Interface between Psychiatry and Women's Reproductive and Sexual Health

Respected Chairpersons, Teachers and Colleagues, I thank the Indian Psychiatric Society forgiving me the opportunity and honor of delivering this year's Tilak Venkoba Rao Oration. The topic of today's oration is based on research done by my colleagues and me over the last several years. The canvas of the topic the interface of psychiatry and women's reproductive health is very wide. It encompasses several areas of study and I have chosen to focus on hormonal and biological variations related to the reproductive cycle, which have an influence on mental health. Wherever relevant, I will also be focusing on psychosocial issues as they relate to reproductive and sexual health in women. In terms of areas of interface, probably the most important is the influence of reproductive physiology i.e. the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, menopause and the effect of all these three on mood, behaviour and cognition among women with and without psychiatric disorders. The interface can be broadly divided into three areas