How Does Depression Affect Pregnancy – For many women, pregnancy should be a happy time in their lives. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. At least 10% of pregnant women worldwide struggle with depression. Misunderstanding that women are not moody during pregnancy, delaying treatment. Adoption is dangerous for both the mother and the unborn child. Fortunately, depression is a disease that can be diagnosed and treated. Treatment may include therapy, alternative medicine, and antidepressants.
There are several reasons why you may experience depression during pregnancy, including abuse, relationship struggles, treatment, loss from a previous pregnancy, and a history of depression.
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How Does Depression Affect Pregnancy
Left untreated, depression can lead to suicidal behavior, poor eating habits, drug addiction, alcohol abuse, and a sudden loss of willpower to care for oneself and the child.
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If you are depressed or suspect someone you know is, it is important to seek a diagnosis. Depression in pregnant women is often overlooked because of the similarity between depressive symptoms and somatic events during pregnancy. Changes in sleep, appetite, weight, and concentration in pregnant women are well-known somatic experiences.
Depressive disorders also show the same symptoms. Therefore, overlapping symptoms make it difficult to diagnose depression in pregnant women. However, the use of non-somatic symptoms, such as suicidal thoughts and lack of interest in the child, may help establish the diagnosis.
Research shows that alternative therapies are helpful in treating depression in pregnant women. Treatments include light therapy, massage therapy and acupuncture. These are great for women who don’t want to or can’t afford antidepressants. However, they may not work for everyone.
IPT can help you deal with personal issues in your life, such as your relationship with your spouse, family, and friends. It can also help you cope with unexpected changes in your life, such as the loss of a loved one or an illness. IPT is especially useful when the transition to motherhood is difficult for the mother.
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Interpersonal therapy focuses on improving social relationships and support, problem solving, and goal setting. As a patient, you can role play to determine how you interact with others and how you make decisions.
CBT is a form of psychotherapy that manages thoughts by changing thought patterns. It works to treat depression by responding to healthy situations. Depression during pregnancy can change your mood and make you feel hopeless, worthless, and suicidal.
CBT helps you identify and resolve the things that make you feel negative. Instead of just talking about feelings and experiences, CBT finds pragmatic solutions and breaks the cycle of negative thinking. It also focuses on current problems rather than past experiences. Also, the therapist works with you to find a solution instead of suggesting a solution.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) are common pharmacological treatments for depression during pregnancy. Doctors may also recommend tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs).
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Antidepressants change the chemical composition of the brain. However, caution should be exercised when prescribing medicine for pregnant women. Like many other medications, antidepressants cross the placenta and affect the unborn baby.
There are several categories of pregnancy safety that are useful during antidepressant treatment. Risks in category A have not been determined due to the lack of controlled studies. Category B refers to hazards that can be identified in animal studies but not in humans. There is danger in categories C and D. In category X, the risks outweigh the benefits of antidepressants.
There are currently treatments for categories C and D. SSRIs such as fluoxetine, sertraline, and citalopram are common recommendations. TCAs, SNRIs, MAOIs, and other medications, such as bupropion, are also used.
When you are being treated, your doctor will take several factors into consideration. For example, in the first trimester, the fetus is at high risk of teratogenesis – damage to the skeletal structure and organs. Thus, safety evaluation should be done before using drugs.
Postpartum Depression And Other Effects After Pregnancy
There are concerns about poor neonatal adaptation, a cluster of symptoms in newborns whose mothers are exposed to SSRIs and SNRIs during the third trimester. These symptoms include tremors, irritability, seizures, difficulty eating, excessive crying, and breathing problems. For these reasons, it is advisable to consult professional doctors.
Treating depression is important for your and your child’s health. At Mango Clinic, we help you deal with depression during pregnancy. Contact us at Mango Clinic for depression treatment or click the banner below to book an appointment. If you are having thoughts of harming yourself or killing yourself, call Lifeline 13 11 14 for immediate support.
Many new parents feel tired or overwhelmed, but postpartum depression is different. In postpartum depression, the sadness, numbness, or hopelessness can last longer, become more severe, and affect your ability to enjoy everyday life. Low mood is also often accompanied by physical symptoms such as sleep problems and changes in appetite or eating habits. Postpartum depression can be long-lasting and usually worsens if left untreated.
Postnatal depression is common, affecting 1 in 5 Australian mothers and 1 in 10 Australian fathers in the first year after a baby is born, but that doesn’t mean it’s common. If you’re struggling with depression, there’s plenty of support to help you get back to enjoying life and your new baby.
Postpartum Depression: What It Is And How To Treat
About 4 out of 5 new moms experience the “baby blues” in the first week or so after giving birth. These feelings are usually related to hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy and after childbirth. If you have the ‘baby blues’, you may feel depressed, anxious, cry or have trouble sleeping. Although these feelings can be difficult, they usually pass quickly without specific treatment.
With postpartum depression, your symptoms last longer than 2 weeks, may be more severe, and often interfere with your ability to function normally. Unlike the baby blues, postpartum depression doesn’t usually go away on its own. This can be difficult to deal with, especially when you are recovering from childbirth and have a new baby.
It can be difficult to know if what you’re feeling is normal or the start of something more serious. If you are not sure, ask your doctor or child health nurse.
Both anxiety and depression are common after childbirth. Many people with postpartum anxiety also experience postpartum depression. Although some of the symptoms are similar, anxiety and depression are different conditions that require different treatments. In postpartum depression, your mood is usually affected, while in postpartum anxiety, you have feelings of worry or fear that are difficult to control. In both conditions, you can cope with your daily activities.
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Having one or more of these risk factors does not mean you will have postpartum depression.
If you have any of these risk factors, make sure you have enough practical and psychological support during your pregnancy and after the baby is born. This can help reduce your chances of depression and help you cope better when your health is down.
People experience postpartum depression differently, but many people have similar symptoms or problems. It’s a good idea to be aware of the common symptoms of postpartum depression, as they are often overlooked or dismissed as a normal part of life with a newborn.
If you notice signs of postnatal depression, talk to your doctor, midwife or child health nurse. They may ask how you feel, give you a questionnaire to fill out, and ask you to talk to your partner, if you have one. They may also perform a physical examination.
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Try to be as honest as possible – this will make it easier for the doctor or nurse to give you the treatment and support you need. Remember that postpartum anxiety and depression are very common. No need to be ashamed.
The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) is a questionnaire used to identify people with postpartum depression and/or anxiety. The questionnaire contains 10 statements about how you feel. For each statement, you will be asked to choose the answer that best describes how you have felt in the past 7 days. Each answer corresponds to one number. If your total score on the questionnaire is greater than 13, you should seek help from your doctor or midwife for postpartum depression.
It’s a good idea to complete the EPDS with your doctor or midwife who can give you more information and support. You can complete the EPDS at home on the Beyond Blue website.
It is important to remember that the EPDS alone cannot be used to diagnose postpartum depression. Only a qualified medical professional can fully assess your symptoms, diagnose you, and recommend appropriate treatment.
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If your symptoms are mild, getting extra support from family, friends, or your doctor may be enough.
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