Dr. Katie Hirst will discuss the unique needs of women with Bipolar Disorder during pregnancy and the postpartum period. She will present a general risk/benefit discussion regarding the use of, and abstinence from, medications during pregnancy and breastfeeding that can help women be informed about approaching this discussion with their care providers; provide resources for information on individual medications; and present strategies to minimize the risk of a mood episode in the crucial first few weeks after delivery.
Dr. Hirst attended Stanford University for her dual undergraduate degree. She earned her medical degree from UC San Diego where she received honors for leadership, academic accomplishment and patient care. After graduation she completed a dual residency in Family Medicine and Psychiatry at UCSD and founded the UCSD Maternal Mental Health Clinic. She became a regional expert in the field of Reproductive Psychiatry, caring for women with anxiety, mood disorders and psychosis during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Dr. Hirst left UCSD in 2013 in order to care for her own perinatal mental illness, opioid substance use disorder, and returned to practice in 2016 at Bold Health in Encinitas, California. She now provides psychotherapy and medication management and teaches mindfulness classes while balancing her own self-care needs with those of her family and patients.