Alkistis Skalkidou
Professor at Department of Women's and Children's Health; Obstetric and Reproductive Health Research
- E-mail:
- alkistis.skalkidou@kbh.uu.se
- Visiting address:
- MTC-huset, Dag Hammarskjölds väg 14B, 1 tr
752 37 Uppsala - Postal address:
- Akademiska sjukhuset
751 85 UPPSALA
- ORCID:
- 0000-0002-4935-7532
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Short presentation
Born in Athens, Greece, in 1977. PhD in Epidemiology in 2005.
Currently Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Uppsala University and works as a senior consultant in Uppsala's University Hospital. Member of WOMHER's. management group, President of the Nordic Marcé Society. MC member, COST action RiseUp PPD.
Research activities include peripartum depression and its effects on the offspring, ultrasound pregnancy dating, and internet-based psychological treatment studies of vulvodynia.
Keywords
- centre
- centrum för kvinnors psykiska hälsa
- centrumbildning
- forskning
- interdisciplinary
- longitudinal cohort
- mentalhealth
- mom2b
- perinatal mental health
- postpartum depression
- psykisk hälsa
- register-based studies
- tvärvetenskap
- vulvodynia
- womher
Biography
Alkistis Skalkidou was born in Athens, Greece, in 1977. She completed her medical studies in the Athens University Medical School and received her PhD in Epidemiology from the same university in 2005. She then relocated to Sweden for post-doctoral studies and specialist training. She became a certified specialist in Obstetrics and Gynecology in 2010 in Uppsala, Sweden, and was awarded the Clinical Associate Professor’s title in 2011.
She now holds a joint position as Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the department of Women's and Children's Health and a senior consultant in Uppsala University Hospital. She has received scholarships from the Onassis and the Marianne and Marcus Wallenberg Foundations, and awards for the Fernström and Göran Gustafsson foundations. She has served as chairman of the Gynecological Endocrinology Working group of the Swedish Association for Obstetricians and Gynecologists (SFOG) 2014-2020 and is currently President of the Nordic Marcé Society for Perinatal Mental Health, a member of the research delegation of the Swedish Medical Association and a member of the management committee of the RiseUp PPD COST-Action.
Her research activities include peripartum depression and its effects on the offspring, ultrasound pregnancy dating, the risk for neoplasia among women treated with ovarian-stimulating drugs and internet-based psychological treatment studies of vulvodynia.
Research
Affective disorders in the perinatal period and child outcomes
Peripartum depression (PPD) affects approximately 12% of pregnant women and new mothers globally. Apart from obvious consequences, such as the suffering of the woman, infants of mothers suffering from PPD have been reported to have an increased risk of premature birth, and low birth weight. Furthermore, PPD can adversely influence the mother–child attachment, the social behavior of the child, and the child’s cognitive development. Risk factors for developing PPD include previous mental illness, lack of social support, low income, unplanned or unwanted pregnancy, adverse life events, and pregnancy complications.
- UPPSAT
- BASIC
- U-BIRTH
- BASIC child
- PACT
- MOM2B – A perinatal health project using a smartphone application and machine learning algorithms
Vulvodynia
Vulvodynia is defined as vulva pain that lasts at least 3 months without a clear cause. In Sweden, the prevalence is unknown. It is estimated that 2–5 % of women between the ages of 20–30 suffer from vulvodynia. Internet-based interventions for somatic conditions have been shown to be effective both in terms of psychological and disease-related outcomes in patients with chronic somatic conditions and anxiety. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) via the internet has also shown good effects on sexual function. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a branch of CBT and focuses on mindfulness, exposure and acceptance of pain. Internet-based intervention based on ACT-principles has shown good results for a Swedish population with chronic pain, but how an internet-based intervention can affect pain in patients with vulvodynia is, however, less studied.
Publications
Recent publications
- Fetal growth after fresh and frozen embryo transfer and natural conception: A population‐based register study (2024)
- Elevated Plasma Levels of Arginines During Labor Among Women with Spontaneous Preterm Birth (2024)
- A longitudinal multi-centric cohort study assessing infant neurodevelopment delay among women with persistent postpartum depression in Nepal (2024)
- Association of Diabetes Mellitus in Pregnancy and Perinatal Depression (2024)
- Mid-pregnancy allopregnanolone levels and trajectories of perinatal depressive symptoms (2024)
All publications
Articles
- Fetal growth after fresh and frozen embryo transfer and natural conception: A population‐based register study (2024)
- Elevated Plasma Levels of Arginines During Labor Among Women with Spontaneous Preterm Birth (2024)
- A longitudinal multi-centric cohort study assessing infant neurodevelopment delay among women with persistent postpartum depression in Nepal (2024)
- Association of Diabetes Mellitus in Pregnancy and Perinatal Depression (2024)
- Mid-pregnancy allopregnanolone levels and trajectories of perinatal depressive symptoms (2024)
- Personality vulnerability to depression, resilience, and depressive symptoms (2024)
- Estrogen-modulating treatment among mid-life women and COVID-19 morbidity and mortality (2024)
- Investigating heart rate variability measures during pregnancy as predictors of postpartum depression and anxiety: an exploratory study (2024)
- ‘I had to Educate Myself’ (2024)
- Remission or Persistence? (2024)
- Feeling better? - Identification, interventions, and remission among women with early postpartum depressive symptoms in Sweden (2024)
- Differential gene expression in two consecutive pregnancies between same sex siblings and implications on maternal constraint (2024)
- Breast and endometrial safety of micronised progesterone versus norethisterone acetate in menopausal hormone therapy (PROBES) (2024)
- Inflammatory biomarkers and perinatal depression (2024)
- Interactions of Perinatal Depression versus Anxiety and Infants' Early Temperament Trajectories (2024)
- Peripartum depression symptom trajectories, telomere length and genotype, and adverse childhood experiences (2024)
- Plasma levels of arginines at term pregnancy in relation to mode of onset of labor and mode of childbirth (2023)
- Preferences for Gender Affirming Treatment and Associated Factors Among Transgender People in Sweden (2023)
- Pre-pregnancy participation and performance in world's largest cross-country ski race as a proxy for physical exercise and fitness, and perinatal outcomes (2023)
- Meta-Analyses of Genome-Wide Association Studies for Postpartum Depression (2023)
- Health economic evaluation of a randomized controlled trial (EMBLA study), an internet-based treatment for provoked vulvodynia (2023)
- Incidence of Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension in Individuals With Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Analogue Treatment for Gender Dysphoria in Sweden (2023)
- Association of disrespectful care after childbirth and COVID-19 exposure with postpartum depression symptoms (2023)
- A feasibility trial of online Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for women with provoked vestibulodynia (2023)
- Individual participant data meta-analysis to compare EPDS accuracy to detect major depression with and without the self-harm item (2023)
- Cohort profile (2023)
- Anti-Müllerian hormone and pregnancy after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for multiple sclerosis (2023)
- Exploring gender dysphoria and related outcomes in a prospective cohort study (2023)
- Pregnancy and postpartum psychiatric episodes in fathers (2022)
- Mom2B: a study of perinatal health via smartphone application and machine learning methods (2022)
- Predicting perinatal health outcomes using smartphone-based digital phenotyping and machine learning in a prospective Swedish cohort (Mom2B) (2022)
- Longitudinal assessment of inflammatory markers in the peripartum period by depressive symptom trajectory groups (2022)
- Differentiated mental health patterns in pregnancy during COVID-19 first two waves in Sweden (2022)
- Internet-based Treatment for Vulvodynia (EMBLA) - A Randomized Controlled Study (2022)
- Experiences of internet-based treatment for vulvodynia (2022)
- Oral Contraceptives, Hormone Replacement Therapy, and Stroke Risk (2022)
- Perinatal mental health (2022)
- Cardiovascular outcomes in transgender individuals in Sweden after initiation of gender-affirming hormone therapy (2022)
- Gender dysphoria in twins (2022)
- Maternal prenatal depressive symptoms and toddler behavior (2022)
- Alcohol consumption habits and associations with anxiety or depressive symptoms postpartum in women with high socioeconomic status in Sweden (2022)
- Working Memory During Late Pregnancy (2022)
- Postpartum depression (2022)
- Association Between Objectively Assessed Sleep and Depressive Symptoms During Pregnancy and Post-partum (2022)
- Effect of internet-based cognitive behaviour therapy among women with negative birth experiences on mental health and quality of life (2022)
- Antepartum and labour-related single predictors of non-participation, dropout and lost to follow up in a randomised controlled trial comparing internet-based cognitive-behaviour therapy with treatment as usual for women with negative birth experiences and/or post-traumatic stress following childbirth (2022)
- Negative childbirth experience-what matters most? (2022)
- Predicting women with depressive symptoms postpartum with machine learning methods (2021)
- Who do we miss when screening for postpartum depression? (2021)
- Metabolic Profiling Indicates Diversity in the Metabolic Physiologies Associated With Maternal Postpartum Depressive Symptoms (2021)
- Pregnancy-related hormones and COMT genotype (2021)
- Important research outcomes for treatment studies of perinatal depression: systematic overview and development of a core outcome set (2021)
- Internet-based treatment for vulvodynia (EMBLA)-Study protocol for a randomised controlled study (2021)
- Validity of the Gender Dysphoria diagnosis and incidence trends in Sweden (2021)
- The perfect storm (2021)
- Heart rate variability in late pregnancy (2021)
- Maternal and Infant Autonomic Nervous System Dysfunction (2021)
- DNA methylation in cord blood in association with prenatal depressive symptoms (2021)
- Swedish intrauterine growth reference ranges for estimated fetal weight (2021)
- Core Outcome Sets (COS) related to pregnancy and childbirth (2021)
- Authors' reply re (2021)
- Maternal childhood trauma and perinatal distress are related to infants’ focused attention from 6 to 18 months (2021)
- Self‐rated health before pregnancy and adverse birth outcomes in Sweden (2021)
- Migraine as a risk factor for mixed symptoms of peripartum depression and anxiety in late pregnancy (2021)
- Probability of Major Depression Classification Based on the SCID, CIDI, and MINI Diagnostic Interviews (2021)
- Sexual violence against women in Sweden (2021)
- Severe obstetric lacerations associated with postpartum depression among women with low resilience (2020)
- Social and emotional contexts predict the development of gaze following in early infancy (2020)
- Inflammatory markers in women with postpartum depressive symptoms (2020)
- Epidural analgesia during Childbirth and Postpartum depressive symptoms (2020)
- Placental glucocorticoid receptors are not affected by maternal depression or SSRI treatment. (2020)
- Maternal perinatal depressive symptoms trajectories and impact on toddler behavior (2020)
- Association of maternal attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and preterm birth (2020)
- Accuracy of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) for screening to detect major depression among pregnant and postpartum women (2020)
- Swedish intrauterine growth reference ranges of biometric measurements of fetal head, abdomen and femur (2020)
- No Differences in Health Outcomes After Routine Inquiry About Violence Victimization in Young Women (2020)
- SSRI use during pregnancy and risk for postpartum haemorrhage (2020)
- Perinatal mental health around the world: Priorities for research and service development in Sweden (2020)
- Characteristics of women with different perinatal depression trajectories (2020)
- Factors associated with re-initiation of antidepressant treatment following discontinuation during pregnancy (2020)
- Cohort profile (2019)
- Investigating the association between neuroticism and adverse obstetric and neonatal outcomes (2019)
- Neuroticism is associated with higher antenatal care utilization in obstetric low-risk women (2019)
- Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis responsiveness, startle response, and sensorimotor gating in late pregnancy (2019)
- Inflammatory and anti-inflammatory markers in plasma (2019)
- Abstract # 3143 Inflammatory markers in postpartum depression (2019)
- Antenatal depressive symptoms and early initiation of breastfeeding in association with exclusive breastfeeding six weeks postpartum (2019)
- The effect of antenatal depression and antidepressant treatment on placental tissue (2019)
- Surgical menopause in association with cognitive function and risk of dementia (2019)
- Blood plasma metabolic profiling of pregnant women with antenatal depressive symptoms (2019)
- Spring peaks and autumn troughs identified in peripheral inflammatory markers during the peripartum period (2019)
- Neighborhood deprivation and adverse perinatal outcomes in Sweden (2019)
- Adherence to Swedish national pregnancy dating guidelines and management of discrepancies between pregnancy dating methods (2019)
- Comparison of major depression diagnostic classification probability using the SCID, CIDI, and MINI diagnostic interviews among women in pregnancy or postpartum (2019)
- Maternal body mass index moderates antenatal depression effects on infant birthweight (2019)
- Parental age and the risk of childhood acute myeloid leukemia (2019)
- Investigating the effect of lifestyle risk factors upon the number of aspirated and mature oocytes in in vitro fertilization cycles (2019)
- Stress-related genetic polymorphisms in association with peripartum depression symptoms and stress hormones (2019)
- Association of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder With Teenage Birth Among Women and Girls in Sweden (2019)
- Experiences of sexual violence among women seeking services at a family planning unit in Sweden (2019)
- A prospective investigation of perceived stress, infertility-related stress, and cortisol levels in women undergoing in vitro fertilization (2018)
- Delineating the association between mode of delivery and postpartum depression symptoms (2018)
- Antenatal Depression and Placental Function (2018)
- HRG C688T polymorphism and risk of gestational hypertensive disorders (2018)
- Meteorological parameters and air pollen count in association with self-reported peripartum depressive symptoms (2018)
- Women with prolonged nausea in pregnancy have increased risk for depressive symptoms postpartum (2018)
- Self-Harm Thoughts Postpartum as a Marker for Long-Term Morbidity (2018)
- Discrepancy between pregnancy dating methods affects obstetric and neonatal outcomes (2018)
- PO-124 Childhood Leukemia International Consortium (CLIC) Studies Report Diffrential Associations of Advanced Parental Age with Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (2018)
- Advanced parental age as risk factor for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (2018)
- Systematic misclassification of gestational age by ultrasound biometry (2018)
- Adult attachment's unique contribution in the prediction of postpartum depressive symptoms, beyond personality traits (2017)
- Psychometric properties of the attachment style questionnaire in Swedish pregnant women (2017)
- Inflammatory markers in late pregnancy in association with postpartum depression-A nested case-control study. (2017)
- Risk factors for exclusive breastfeeding lasting less than two months-Identifying women in need of targeted breastfeeding support (2017)
- Lower inflammatory markers in women with antenatal depression brings the M1/M2 balance into focus from a new direction (2017)
- Different patterns of attentional bias in antenatal and postpartum depression (2017)
- Conception by means of in vitro fertilization is not associated with maternal depressive symptoms during pregnancy or postpartum (2017)
- Successful IVF is not associated with maternal perinatal depressive symptoms (2017)
- Allopregnanolone levels and depressive symptoms during pregnancy in relation to single nucleotide polymorphisms in the allopregnanolone synthesis pathway (2017)
- Seasonal patterns in self-reported peripartum depressive symptoms (2017)
- Associations between a polymorphism in the hydroxysteroid (11-beta) dehydrogenase 1 gene, neuroticism and postpartum depression (2017)
- Maternal and female fetal testosterone levels are associated with maternal age and gestational weight gain (2017)
- Maternal fetal loss history and increased acute leukemia subtype risk in subsequent offspring (2017)
- Maternal and fetal characteristics affect discrepancies between pregnancy-dating methods (2017)
- Anxiety and depression symptoms among sub-fertile women, women pregnant after infertility treatment, and naturally pregnant women (2017)
- Risk of endometrial cancer in women treated with ovary-stimulating drugs for subfertility (2017)
- Sex differences in depression during pregnancy and the postpartum period (2017)
- Correlates of postpartum depression in first time mothers without previous psychiatric contact (2017)
- Depression, anxiety, and antidepressant treatment in women (2016)
- Sleep duration, depression, and oxytocinergic genotype influence prepulse inhibition of the startle reflex in postpartum women (2016)
- Delineating the Association between Heavy Postpartum Haemorrhage and Postpartum Depression (2016)
- Neonatal outcomes in pregnancies resulting from oocyte donation (2016)
- Suicides during pregnancy and one year postpartum in Sweden, 1980–2007 (2016)
- Age at menopause and duration of reproductive period in association with dementia and cognitive function (2016)
- Estrogen-Based Therapies and Depression in Women Who Naturally Enter Menopause Before Population Average Reply (2016)
- Association of Age at Menopause and Duration of Reproductive Period With Depression After Menopause (2016)
- Tandem mass spectrometry determined maternal cortisone to cortisol ratio and psychiatric morbidity during pregnancy-interaction with birth weight (2016)
- Mid-pregnancy corticotropin-releasing hormone levels in association with postpartum depressive symptoms (2016)
- Association between parental depressive symptoms and impaired bonding with the infant (2016)
- Effects of ultrasound pregnancy dating on neonatal morbidity in late preterm and early term male infants (2016)
- Caesarean delivery and risk of childhood leukaemia (2016)
- Violence victimisation (2016)
- Motivational interviewing does not affect risk drinking among young women (2016)
- Hypotyreos under graviditet riskerar barnets neurokognitiva utveckling (2016)
- Prelabor cesarean delivery and early-onset acute childhood leukemia risk. (2016)
- Supraphysiological hormonal status, anxiety disorders, and COMT Val/Val genotype are associated with reduced sensorimotor gating in women (2015)
- Adverse obstetric outcomes in pregnancies resulting from oocyte donation (2015)
- Emotion Reactivity Is Increased 4-6 Weeks Postpartum in Healthy Women (2015)
- Iodine deficiency in a study population of pregnant women in Sweden (2015)
- Treatment with serotonin reuptake inhibitors during pregnancy is associated with elevated corticotropin-releasing hormone levels (2015)
- Prenatal and Postpartum Evening Salivary Cortisol Levels in Association with Peripartum Depressive Symptoms (2015)
- Personality and risk for postpartum depressive symptoms (2015)
- Corticotropin-releasing hormone and postpartum depression (2015)
- Corticotropin-releasing hormone and postpartum depression (2015)
- History of Maternal Fetal Loss and Childhood Leukaemia Risk in Subsequent Offspring (2015)
- The effects of antenatal depression and antidepressant treatment on placental gene expression (2015)
- Socioeconomic disparities in survival from childhood leukemia in the United States and globally (2015)
- Maternal and birth anthropometric characteristics in relation to the risk of childhood lymphomas (2015)
- Risk for childhood leukemia associated with maternal and paternal age (2015)
- Experience of the First Breastfeeding Session in Association with the Use of the Hands-On Approach by Healthcare Professionals (2014)
- The histidine-rich glycoprotein A1042G polymorphism and recurrent miscarriage (2014)
- Low Serum Allopregnanolone Is Associated with Symptoms of Depression in Late Pregnancy (2014)
- Cancer incidence and mortality patterns in women with anorexia nervosa (2014)
- Experience of fetal scalp blood sampling during labor (2014)
- IVF and breast cancer (2014)
- Fetal Macrosomy as A Risk Factor for Childhood non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (2014)
- O-058 46thCongress of the International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP) 2014 (2014)
- Pre-pregnancy Restless Legs Syndrome (Willis-Ekbom Disease) Is Associated with Perinatal Depression (2014)
- Prevalence of intimate partner violence among women seeking termination of pregnancy compared to women seeking contraceptive counseling (2014)
- Prefrontal activity during response inhibition decreases over time in the postpartum period (2013)
- Adipocytokines levels at delivery, functional variation of TFAP2 beta, and maternal and neonatal anthropometric parameters (2013)
- Cortisol awakening response in late pregnancy in women with previous or ongoing depression (2013)
- Cortisol awakening response in late pregnancy in women with previous or ongoing depression (2013)
- 1843 – Depression in the peripartum period in association with salivary cortisol levels (2013)
- 1546 – Personality traits and postpartum depression: results from basic study in sweden (2013)
- The effects of maternal depression and maternal selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor exposure on offspring (2013)
- Controlled ovarian hyperstimulation for IVF (2013)
- Premenstrual syndrome and dysphoric disorder as risk factors for postpartum depression (2013)
- Thyroid function tests at delivery and risk for postpartum depressive symptoms (2013)
- Low serum allopregnanolone is associated with elevated depressive symptoms in late pregnancy (2012)
- Validity of intraoperative gross examination of myometrial invasion in patients with endometrial cancer (2012)
- In vitro fertilization and risk of childhood leukemia in Greece and Sweden (2012)
- Biological aspects of postpartum depression (2012)
- Postpartum depressive symptoms and the BDNF Val66Met functional polymorphism: effect of season of delivery (2011)
- Postpartum depression symptoms (2011)
- Newborn gender as a predictor of postpartum mood disturbances in a sample of Swedish women (2011)
- Seasonality patterns in postpartum depression (2011)
- Ultrasound Pregnancy Dating Leads to Biased Perinatal Morbidity and Neonatal Mortality Among Post-term-born Girls (2010)
- Preventing suicide and homicide in the United States (2009)
- Risk of postpartum depression in association with serum leptin and interleukin-6 levels at delivery (2009)
- Inverse association of leptin levels with renal cell carcinoma (2009)
- Circulating adiponectin levels and expression of adiponectin receptors in relation to lung cancer (2007)
- Sun exposure, birth weight, and childhood lymphomas (2007)
- Low adiponectin levels are associated with renal cell carcinoma (2007)
- Exploring lag and duration effect of sunshine in triggering suicide (2005)
- Evidence on the infectious etiology of childhood leukemia (2001)
- Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 predicts survival from acute childhood leukemia (2001)
- Endogenous risk factors for childhood leukemia in relation to the IGF system (Greece) (2000)
- Are traffic injuries disproportionally more common among tourists in Greece? Struggling with incomplete data (1999)
- Insulin-like growth factor-I and binding protein-3 in relation to childhood leukaemia (1999)
- Effectiveness of a comprehensive multisector campaign to increase seat belt use in the greater Athens area, Greece. Hellenic Road Traffic Police Department. (1999)
- Risk of upper limb injury in left handed children (1999)
- Car restraints and seating position for prevention of motor vehicle injuries in Greece (1998)
- Neuroticism is not independently associated with adverse obstetric or neonatal outcomes
- Risk factors of exclusive breastfeeding less than two months
- The effect of antenatal depression and antidepressant treatment on placental tissue: a protein-validated gene expression study
- Personality traits in association with postpartum depressive symptoms
Chapters
- 5. Bioidentiska hormoner vid klimakteriebesvär - finns evidens för effekt, säkerhet och fördelar? (2022)
- Könsdysfori (2022)
- Psykologiska aspekter på graviditet och förlossning (2021)
Conferences
- Mental health trajectories and dimensional phenotypes throughout pregnancy and postpartum in relation to pre-pregnancy premenstrual symptoms (2024)
- Premenstrual symptoms and depression during pregnancy and postpartum in two large cohorts of pregnant women (2023)
- Exploring the relationship between early life adversity, telomere length and peripartum depression (2022)
- Cardiovascular outcomes in transgender individuals in Sweden (2021)
- Conception by means of in vitro fertilization (IVF) is not associated with nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (2020)