Is There A Way To Prevent Depression During Pregnancy
Unfortunately, there arenât any guaranteed ways to prevent depression during pregnancy. However, counseling is considered to be effective in helping pregnant women who have an increased risk of depression. The U.S. Preventive Task Force recommends that you seek counseling if you are pregnant and identify with one or more of the following risk factors:
- Are having current feelings or symptoms of depression.
- Have a history of depression or other mental health conditions.
- Are a teenager or single mother.
- Are experiencing other stressful life events.
- Are a victim of intimate partner violence.
What Are The Neurodevelopmental Risks Associated With Use Of Ssris During Pregnancy
Evidence on the adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes in children who were exposed to SSRIs in utero is limited. One case-controlled, prospective study found that exposure to fluoxetine did not adversely affect the childrens global IQ, language development, or behavior23 however, IQ was significantly and negatively associated with the duration of the mothers depression, while language was negatively associated with the number of depressive episodes at time of delivery.23 In another small study, children of depressed mothers treated with SSRIs were compared with children of depressed mothers who elected not to take any antidepressant medications during their pregnancy.24 This study reviewed birth outcomes and postnatal neurodevelopmental functioning and noted subtle effects on motor development in those exposed to SSRIs.24 Overall, there are few data regarding long-term effects of in utero SSRI exposure however, maternal depression may have a greater impact on the infants developmental outcomes than psychotropic medication exposure itself.9
How Can Depression During Pregnancy Be Treated
If you think you are struggling with antepartum depression, the first and most important step you can take is seeking help. Speak with your doctor about your symptoms and issues. He or she will be able to recommend treatment that would be best suited to you and your child. Treatment methods for depression during pregnancy may include:
Making changes at home may also help you manage your depression symptoms. Speak with your partner, family, or friends about your issues and ask for support. Allow yourself to relax, slow down, cut down on chores and tasks, and put your health and well-being first. Taking care of yourself is vital to taking care of your unborn baby. Some other changes that may help manage depression symptoms include:
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Female Who Become Pregnant While Taking Anti
As much as this point, this discussion has actually been about the care and treatment of a female who establishes depression during her pregnancy. What about women who conceive while taking antidepressants? In this situation, the female and her doctor need to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of continuing this medication. Research suggests the best risk to the fetus would remain in the first trimester, so a lady and her doctor should resolve this concern as early in the pregnancy as possible.
How To Prevent Postpartum Depression
It is important to understand that this is a broad term for the wide range of emotions a woman can experience after having a baby. Postpartum mood disorders are normally divided into three subcategories that include baby blues, postpartum depression , and postpartum psychosis . In recent years, new categories have been added to the group of postpartum mood disorders, including postpartum anxiety , postpartum obsessive-compulsive disorder and postpartum post-traumatic stress disorder . These subgroups have a variety of symptoms and vary in severity and intensity.
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Risk Factors For Maternal Depression
Approximately 14.5% of women will experience postpartum depression within three months of giving birth, according to data from the CDC’s Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System .
The most common risk factors for maternal depression include:
- A personal or family history of depression, anxiety disorder, or other mood disorders, including prenatal or postpartum depression
- A current or past history of alcohol or other substance abuse
- An unplanned or unwanted pregnancy
- Having a difficult experience with pregnancy or delivery, including preterm birth, multiple births, miscarriage or stillbirth, congenital disabilities or disabilities, or other pregnancy complications
- Being Caucasian and non-Hispanic ethnicity
- Being under 24 when giving birth
- Having a lower maternal socioeconomic status
- Experiencing stress or relationship problems with the babys father
- A lack of social support or absence of a community network.
While these are the most common risk factors, women with none of these factors in place can still experience prenatal or postpartum depression.
Complications Of Depression During Pregnancy
Depressed pregnant women are more likely to develop pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia than pregnant women who are not depressed.
Women with antepartum depression are also at higher risk for developing postpartum depression.
Left untreated, antepartum depression poses a health risk to the pregnant woman as well as the infant by increasing the risk of:
- Complications with pregnancy or delivery
- Delivering a low-birth-weight baby
- Prematurely giving birth
In a study of more than 7,000 pregnant women, published in the May 2016 issue of the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, the odds of having a premature baby was 1.82 times higher in those with antepartum depression than those without it, and the odds of having a baby with a low birth weight was 1.28 times higher in those with antepartum depression than those without it.
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What Are Some Of The Signs Of Depression During Pregnancy
During pregnancy, your body goes through many changes. You may experience a lot of different emotions throughout pregnancy sometimes carrying you up the emotional roller coaster, and sometimes down. Its okay to feel all of these different emotions. However, if you find youre having any of the following symptoms during your pregnancy, it could be depression and you should reach out to your healthcare provider right away. Signs of depression during pregnancy can include:
- Having recurrent thoughts of death or suicide.
- Having a depressed mood for most of the day, nearly early day, for the last two weeks.
- Feeling guilty, hopeless or worthless.
- Having difficulty thinking, concentrating or making decisions.
- Losing interest or pleasure in most activities during the day, nearly every day, for the last two weeks.
If you have any of the above symptoms your provider may ask you the following questions:
- Over the past two weeks, have you felt down, depressed or hopeless?
- Over the past two weeks, have you felt little interest or pleasure in doing things?
If you answer yes to either of these questions, your healthcare provider will ask you more questions during a more in-depth depression screening test.
Can Depression During Pregnancy Affect You And Your Baby
Yes. Depression during pregnancy increases your risk for:
- Not taking care of yourself. For example, if your depression isnt treated, you may not eat healthy foods and not gain enough weight during pregnancy. You may skip your prenatal care checkups or not follow instructions from your health care provider.
- Having PPD after pregnancy. PPD can make it hard for you to care for and bond with your baby.
- Suicide , thinking about suicide or thinking about hurting your baby. These are rare.
Depression during pregnancy increases your babys risk for:
- Premature birth. This is birth that happens too early, before 37 weeks of pregnancy.
- Being small for gestational age . This is when a baby doesnt weigh what he should before birth.
- Having low birthweight . This means your baby is born weighing less than 5 pounds, 8 ounces.
- Being more irritable, less active, less attentive and with fewer facial expressions than babies born to moms who dont have depression during pregnancy
- Learning, behavior and development problems and mental health conditions later in life
Depression during pregnancy can make it hard for you to get ready for your baby and take care of your baby after birth. This is why its important to treat depression as soon as possible. For example, if depression is untreated:
Early treatment for depression can help you feel better and be ready to care for your baby after birth. If you think youre depressed, tell your provider and ask about treatment.
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Postpartum Depression Is Different From The Baby Blues
Postpartum depression is depression that occurs after having a baby. Feelings of postpartum depression are more intense and last longer than those of baby blues, a term used to describe the worry, sadness, and tiredness many women experience after having a baby.
If you think you have depression, seek treatment from your health care provider as soon as possible.
Can Depression During Pregnancy Harm The Baby
Depression during pregnancy has both direct and indirect effects on the baby. A depressed mother will not take care of herself.
In severe conditions of antepartum depression, she may have suicidal thoughts and self-harm acts.
In these conditions, the baby will be adversely affected. Especially at later stages pregnancy when the baby is formed and can respond to stimuli, these dangers increase.
Babies of mothers having depression during pregnancy have problems concentrating. These children are less active and are irritable. They may keep crying or be silent. Such children may also have difficulty while learning and have behavioral problems.
Mothers who are depressed have more chance of undergoing a C-section surgery.
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Can Depression Be Cured
With treatment, most people recover from depression. Treatment can include one or more of the following:
- Social support: Community services or parenting education.
- Family therapy: With your partner and/or children. This can help when children are older.
- Individual therapy: Talking one-on-one with a family doctor, psychologist, psychiatrist, social worker, or other professional.
- Medication: Drugs used most often to treat depression are SSRIs .
Does Pregnancy Cause Depression
Pregnancy can cause you to experience depression. Your body goes through a lot of change and the stresses of pregnancy can trigger depression in some women. Not everyone who becomes pregnant will also be depressed.
If you have experienced depression in the past, your symptoms could return or if you were living with depression before your pregnancy, it may get worse once youre pregnant.
Its important to talk to your healthcare provider about depression during pregnancy because it can extend after delivery. Women who experience depression during pregnancy are at a higher risk of postpartum depression .
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Facing Depression During Pregnancy
An important tool in fighting depression during pregnancy, antidepressants can help an expectant mother — without hurting their unborn baby.
With pregnancy comes joy, excitement, baby showers, and the wonder of a new life. But for some, pregnancy is clouded by depression, a condition that puts not only the mother at risk, but the child as well.
For more than 10% of pregnant women, the coming birth of a child is mingled with ongoing feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and anxiety, as well as a decreased appetite and problems sleeping.
Fortunately, expectant mothers need not suffer from this condition: Depression is treatable during pregnancy, with psychotherapy and antidepressant medication.
“During pregnancy, doctors try to keep women off antidepressants unless they have severe depression or if they have a history of relapsing if taken off antidepressants in the past,” says Victoria Hendrick, MD. “Instead, other interventions, like psychotherapy, are used to help reduce the need for an antidepressant.
How To Deal With Depression While Pregnant
Wondering what to do for depression while pregnant? Find out everything you need to know about antenatal depression here to give yourself the healthiest pregnancy possible.
More likely than not, youve heard about postpartum depression a mental condition that commonly affects mothers after delivering their babies, sometimes even for years after.
But, did you know that you can experience depression during pregnancy, too and that its actually a common mental health issue?
It is normal to feel depressed while pregnant in fact, some may say its unreasonable to expect to be happy every day during your pregnancy. Your body is undertaking a huge challenge, and the side effects and hormone swings that come with these changes are enough to make an expectant mother irritated. If youre feeling depressed, sad or anxious during your pregnancy, know that you are not alone and there is help.
We encourage any woman who is pregnant, feeling depressed and alone to call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to get the support they need right away. We also encourage you to contact your local mental health professional to set up a therapy appointment. There is never any shame in reaching out for help during moments of mental health crisis and, as an expectant mother, you always want to keep your little one in mind.
In the meantime, find out what you need to know about depression during pregnancy and how to handle depression while pregnant below.
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What Is The Role Of The Primary Care Provider In Caring For Women With Perinatal Depression
Given that 50% of pregnancies in the United States are unplanned,41 preconception planning is a necessity, even if a woman does not identify that she is planning for conception in the near future. Documentation of birth control planning should be completed during each visit with a reproductive-aged woman. Additionally, the risks of medication to the pregnancy and fetus should be reviewed with the initial prescription of an antidepressant, rather than at time of conception. For women who are actively trying to conceive, establishing an appropriate psychotropic medication regimen, or tapering and discontinuing of medications if appropriate, is a vital role of the provider.
Once a patient is identified as having perinatal depression, the primary care provider has the opportunity to closely monitor the patient, especially if involved in obstetrical and/or pediatric care, and work with the patient and mental health professional to provide the care the patient deserves in order to have the best outcome possible.
Warning Signs Of Depression During Pregnancy
The warning signs and symptoms of depression during pregnancy are the same as those that are used to identify depression in other instances as well. These include:
- Feeling persistently sad, hopeless, overwhelmed, restless, or moody.
- Excessive crying.
- Feelings of guilt or worthlessness.
- Thinking of death, suicide, or hurting yourself or your baby.
- Feeling like youâre in a fog or out of touch with your surroundings.
- Difficulty remembering things, concentrating, or making decisions.
- Not being able to sleep or sleeping too much .
- Withdrawing from family and friends.
- Not having an interest in activities that you used to enjoy.
- Having no energy or feeling tired all of the time, regardless of how much sleep you get.
- Having inexplicable headaches, stomach aches, or any other kind of physical pain.
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Living With: Depression During Pregnancy
Depression during pregnancy is a very difficult and sensitive subject. Statistics from the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists suggest that between 14 and 23 percent of women suffer from some form of depression during pregnancy. There are many questions that the pregnant woman and her family must struggle with. Is she truly suffering from depression or is her behavior caused by normal pregnancy hormones? If she is suffering from depression, what can she do? What can her family do? Are there any treatments that wont harm the baby?
Because of hormonal changes during pregnancy, a woman may not realize that she is suffering from depression. At first, depression may not seem different from the anxiety, fatigue, difficulty concentrating and many other symptoms that are typical of pregnancy. However, when a woman is depressed these symptoms are more frequent and severe. If she is depressed, the symptoms last for more than two weeks and prevent the woman from anticipating the joy of bringing a new life into the world. She may also experience other symptoms that are clearly associated with depression such as persistent sadness, feelings of worthlessness or thoughts of suicide.
Getting Help For Perinatal Depression
Pregnancy & Parenting Categories
Many people are familiar with the term postpartum depression, which refers to depression after a pregnancy. Perinatal depression is much broader. It refers to depression that occurs both during pregnancy and up to one year after your babys birth.
Perinatal depression is common – as many as one in five women will experience it. It affects your mind, body, emotions, behaviours and habits.
A mother’s depression can also affect her emotional attachment to her baby and her baby’s healthy development. That’s why it’s critical to seek support and help as soon as you experience depression.
Feelings can sometimes range from “feeling blue” to more severe emotions, affecting how you feel about yourself, how you interact with others, your personal relationships, your emotional attachment to your baby and your baby’s healthy development. It’s important for you and your partner to recognize the signs and symptoms of depression.
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Woman Who Become Pregnant While Taking Anti
Up to this point, this discussion has been about the care and treatment of a woman who develops depression during her pregnancy. What about women who become pregnant while taking antidepressants? In this situation, the woman and her doctor must weigh the pros and cons of continuing this medication. Research suggests the greatest risk to the fetus would be in the first trimester, so a woman and her doctor must address this issue as early in the pregnancy as possible.
What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Depression
Major depression is more than just feeling down for a few days. You may have depression if you have signs or symptoms of depression that last for more than 2 weeks. Signs of a condition are things someone else can see or know about you, like you have a rash or youre coughing. Symptoms are things you feel yourself that others cant see, like having a sore throat or feeling dizzy.
Signs and symptoms of depression include:
Changes in your feelings
- Thinking about death or suicide
Changes in your everyday life
- Eating more or less than you usually do
- Having trouble remembering things, concentrating or making decisions
- Not being able to sleep or sleeping too much
- Withdrawing from friends and family
- Losing interest in things you usually like to do
Changes in your body
- Having no energy and feeling tired all the time
- Having headaches, stomach problems or other aches and pains that dont go away
If youre pregnant and you have any of these signs or symptoms, or if they get worse, call your health care provider. There are things you and your provider can do to help you feel better. If youre worried about hurting yourself, call emergency services at 911.
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