A recent study of about 4,000 mothers showed that 15% experienced depression either before, during or after pregnancy .
Does pregnancy bring on more episodes of depression? How often do pregnant women experience depression before, during and after they give birth? The October issue of the Americam Journal of Psychiatry includes new research that has attempted to shed light on those issues.
Between 1998 and 2001, over 4,000 women took part in this study that began 39 weeks before pregnancy and ended 39 weeks after they gave birth. About 15% of this total group who participated experienced depression at some phase during the study.
Of the women who experienced depression in the 39 weeks prior to pregnancy, over half of them had depression during pregnancy. In the group of women who reported having depression after pregnancy, over half of them experienced depression either before or during pregnancy.
Researchers concluded that about one in every 7 women experienced depression during the 39 week block prior to pregnancy through the 39 week period following pregnancy.
For related information about postpartum depression, read the entire series.
Brenda
