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Perinatal and Pregnancy Studies

BUMP Study

This is a logo for the BUMP Study.

The goal of the BUMP Study is to learn more about how pregnancy hormones relate to changes in mood and brain activity.  

We are looking for pregnant women who either:

  1. Had depression or persistent irritable mood during or after a prior pregnancy, and who are not depressed or irritable now, OR
  2. Have never had depression.

You may be eligible to join if you also:

  • Are less than 15 gestational weeks;
  • Are 18 to 45 years of age; 
  • Are not currently taking medications for mood symptoms; and
  • Have given birth to at least one child. 

In this study, we assess hormones, mood, and brain activity during pregnancy. The study involves 1 enrollment visit, 2 study visits to look at your brain waves, mood surveys, and urine samples. Online mood surveys will take approximately 5 to 15 minutes to complete, and most study visits will last approximately 1.5 hours. In person study visits will take place at Carolina Crossing (Carolina Crossing, Building B, Suite 1, 2218 Nelson Highway, Chapel Hill, NC 27517). You can receive up to $280 for participating in this study. 

To learn more and find out whether you qualify, please call Dr. Swales and our study team at 984-464-1884 or contact us by email at bumpstudy@unc.edu. Thank you for your interest in our research!

This research has been approved by the UNC Chapel Hill IRB on September 9, 2022 (PI: Swales, #22-1059). For questions on your rights as a research participant, please contact the UNC IRB at (919) 966-3113.

The Other Postpartum

The Center for Women’s Mood Disorders is conducting a research study focusing on the grief, depression, anxiety, and PTSD that follows late miscarriage, stillbirth, and neonatal loss. In the United States, there are an estimated 20,000+ stillbirths and 13000+ neonatal deaths per year, which means 1% of all live births are either stillborn or result in the death of a newborn prior to 28-days of life. Unfortunately, the medical community has only scratched the surface on understanding the psychiatric and biological sequela for women who suffer stillbirth and neonatal loss. To begin to fill this tremendous scientific gap, this proposal aims to prospectively track clinical assessment, participant symptoms and behaviors, health care utilization, and stress responsiveness in woman following stillbirth and neonatal loss.

This study is observational in nature, consisting of five virtual study visits as well as monthly self-administered surveys and ecological momentary assessments – all over the course of 12 months. Participants will also be asked to continuously wear Oura rings to track sleep, activity, heart rate and heart rate variability, and body temperature in order to measure stress responsiveness.

Inclusion criteria details that pregnancy loss occurred after 16 weeks gestation or loss of a neonate before 28-days of life (neonate not to have left the NICU prior to death), occurring within the last 90 days, and women must be age 18-45. Exclusion criteria consists of a current diagnosis of substance abuse disorder, a lifetime diagnosis of bipolar affective disorder or primary psychotic disorder, and active post-traumatic stress disorder (not related to loss), suicidal thoughts with intent or suicide attempt within the last 18 months.