Reproductive trauma is defined as psychological distress following challenging experiences related to reproduction and fertility. This can include a wide range of events, such as infertility, miscarriage, stillbirth, invalidation of reproductive choices, and life-threatening medical experiences. These types of traumatic experiences have become increasingly common due to legislative restrictions on reproductive rights (e.g., abortion bans, limits on contraception), with disproportionate impacts for people of color. This 1.5-hour webinar will focus on the impact of reproductive trauma and traumatic invalidation on mental health, including its implications for perinatal PTSD and treatment using the DBT Prolonged Exposure (DBT PE) protocol. The perinatal period is often conceptualized as beginning in pregnancy and extending through 1-year postpartum. During this time, individuals are at unique risk for various types of trauma exposure that can have long-lasting impacts on the mental and physical health of both the parent and child. Due to societal pressure and stigma, many individuals suffer in silence and do not seek support. Moreover, structural factors (e.g., institutional racism, healthcare policy) can both increase exposure to potentially traumatic events and limit access to high-quality healthcare, thereby increasing the risks for adverse outcomes and maternal-infant mortality. While these reproductive events often meet Criterion A for PTSD, other experiences that do not can still be profoundly impactful and lead to clinically significant PTSD symptoms (e.g., negative birthing experiences, invalidation of losses related to IVF). In this webinar, we will orient participants to trauma and traumatic invalidation as it presents in the perinatal period. The impact of individual, social, and structural factors on risk for and outcomes of reproductive trauma will also be discussed. Case examples will be presented to illustrate common issues that arise when implementing DBT PE to address reproductive traumas.

Register for the webinar here.