BC Women’s Health Foundation

The Reproductive Mental Health Program at BC Women’s Hospital is a centre of excellence and a national leader specializing in the assessment and treatment of women with psychiatric illnesses during the perinatal period.

This program is the provincial source for best practice guidelines and is committed to the education of healthcare providers across the province. However, this influential site lacks a research program that is integrated with clinical care.

This leaves many questions about how to best treat women with reproductive mental health issues unanswered – not just at BC Women’s Hospital, but across the province. Reproductive Mental Health Research will bridge this gap in knowledge.


Funding, in part raised through the Run For Women, will provide clinician-researchers at the Reproductive Mental Health Program with the resources they need to develop innovative treatments and support for women. These experts see the challenges women face every day.

Goal #1: Make virtual mindfulness-based interventions, such as guided meditation, accessible to women across the province — which have proven benefits for women and their partners.

Goal #2: Develop digital decision-making tools to help women make educated choices about the use of antidepressants during pregnancy. Researchers will investigate decision-making options to better support women through the difficult process of balancing the risks of using antidepressants in pregnancy with the risks of untreated depression.

This research will allow these experts to develop digital resources to support best practices for care providers + best outcomes for women.

BC Women’s Health Foundation (BCWHF) is BC’s largest non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the full spectrum of women’s health. We ensure women have equitable access to the highest quality healthcare when, where, and how they need it. To find out more about our vision of healthy women everywhere, capable of anything, visit bcwomensfoundation.org.