The relationship between mental disorders and reproductive functions in women has fascinated scientific thinkers for centuries. Nevertheless it has been well documented that sex and gender differences in mental illness and their treatment are understudied until now. In many cases the role of the obstetric-gynecologic event or condition in the psychiatric illness is not recognized: Many women have questions and concerns about psychiatric aspects of menstruation and menopause. Feelings about hysterectomy or the loss or termination of a pregnancy may play a role in the dynamics of a current conflict. Many manias depressions and other psychoses are related to endocrinology. Sexual abuse is a frequent feature of the history of patients with several major psychiatric disorders. Current developments in reproductive technology are new challenges for psychiatrists as well. The editors of "Archives of Women's Mental Health" hope that this journal will assist clinicians teachers and researchers to incorporate knowledge of all aspects of women's mental health into current and future clinical care and research. The journal's scope includes psychodynamics social and biological aspects of all psychiatric and psychosomatic disorders in women. The editors especially welcome interdisciplinary studies focussing on the interface between psychiatry psychosomatics obstetrics and gynecology. The exchange of knowledge between psychiatrists and obstetrician-gynecologists is one of the major aims of the journal. "Archives of Women's Mental Health" publish rigorously reviewed research papers short original communications case reports review articles book reviews and letters to the editors on psychiatric and psychosomatic disorders in women related to the menstrual cycle pregnancy childbirth and perimenopause psychiatric aspects of childloss and abortion sterilization and perimenopause maternal mental illness and disorders of mother-to-infant attachment and all other aspects of motherhood and mental health gender differences in psychopathology psychopharmacology and epidemiology of psychiatric disorders psychotropic drugs and the safety of their use during pregnancy and breastfeeding the association between ovarian hormones and neurochemistry and other biological aspects of psychiatric disorders in women psychosocial cultural and ethnic aspects of psychiatric disorders in women psychiatric aspects of domestic violence liaison psychiatry in women's hospital planning specialized mental health services for women hormonal treatment of psychiatric disorders related to women's reproductive system influence of menstrual cycle on pharmacokinetics of psychotropic drugs psychological aspects of cancer in women sexual disorders in women alcohol and drug abuse in the practic