Study: Moms have lingering depression throughout pregnancy and after birth

By Joe Morgan via SWNS

Moms will have lingering depression throughout their pregnancy and after birth - even if they take medication, warns a new study.

Pregnant women who suffer from poor mental health can see anxiety symptoms worsening over the nine months.

One in five women are expected to suffer from perinatal depression and anxiety.

Researchers studied 88 women and completed assessments every four weeks until delivery and then at six and 14 weeks postpartum.

Throughout pregnancy, 18 percent had minimal, 50 percent had mild and 32 percent had clinically relevant depressive symptoms.

Women who took antidepressants like sertraline, citalopram and fluoxitine showed "sub-optimal" health, according to the study.

Researchers said they were able to assess higher body mass than usual, migraines, thyroid disorders and asthma.

They say that it should be possible for doctors to help women with mental health issues and ensure having a baby does not worsen their depression or anxiety.

Professor Katherine Wisner, at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said: “This is the first longitudinal data to show that many pregnant women report depression and anxiety symptoms during pregnancy and postpartum, despite their choice to continue treatment with antidepressants.

“It lets us know these women need to be continually monitored during pregnancy and postpartum, so their clinicians can tailor their treatment to alleviate their symptoms.

“Depression also impacts a woman’s infant.

"This is key as children exposed to a depressed mother have an increased risk of childhood developmental disorders."

Co-author Dr. Catherine Stika, a gynaecologist at Northwestern, added: "Psychological and psychosocial factors change rapidly across childbearing.

“Repeated screenings will allow your clinician to adapt the type and/or intensity of intervention until your symptoms improve.”

The study was published in Psychiatric Research and Clinical Practice.