Postnatal Depression News and Research

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Postpartum depression (Postnatal depression) is a type of depressive illness that some women experience after child birth. This form of depression usually occurs around 4 to 6 weeks after delivery but sometimes does not manifest until months after the baby is born. The condition can occur whether a woman gives birth naturally or by way of a caesarean section.

Esketamine after childbirth cuts risk of postnatal depression by three-quarters

Low-dose esketamine administered post-labor significantly reduced depressive symptoms in women with prenatal depression within 42 days, despite an increase in short-lived neuropsychiatric side effects.

14 Apr 2024

Low dose esketamine injection after childbirth reduces postpartum depression

A single low dose injection of esketamine given immediately after childbirth reduces major depressive episodes in individuals with depressive symptoms during pregnancy (prenatal depression), finds a clinical trial published by The BMJ today.

12 Apr 2024

Understanding the relationship between premenstrual symptoms and perinatal mood disorders

Women with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) or premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) have a higher risk of perinatal depression. Conversely, women with perinatal depression have a higher risk of developing premenstrual disorders.

28 Mar 2024

Cognitive behavioral therapy helps prevent postpartum mental health challenges in low-resource settings

Results from a large clinical trial funded by the National Institutes of Health show that an intervention for anxiety provided to pregnant women living in Pakistan significantly reduced the likelihood of the women developing moderate-to-severe anxiety, depression, or both six weeks after birth.

26 Feb 2024

Maternal happiness during pregnancy linked to child's brain development

Study reveals that maternal emotional well-being during pregnancy is linked to significant brain development benefits in children, particularly in the hippocampal volume of female offspring.

30 Jan 2024

Women with perinatal depression have an elevated mortality risk

Women who suffer depression during or after pregnancy have a higher risk of death by both natural and unnatural causes, a new study of childbirth in Sweden published in The BMJ reports.

10 Jan 2024

Does immediate parent-infant skin-to-skin contact improve interaction in very preterm babies at 4 months?

The effect of initial skin-to-skin contact (SSC) at delivery on the quality of mother-infant interactions.

4 Dec 2023

Black pregnant individuals at high risk for multiple mental health concerns

Black pregnant individuals frequently experience more than one mental health concern, according to findings published by Susan Gennaro, PhD, RN, FAAN, Professor in the William F. Connell School of Nursing at Boston College, and colleagues in The Nurse Practitioner.

22 Nov 2023

Changing environment can have long-term, significant effects on the brain

Changes in a person's environment can have long-term, significant effects on the brain, whether it's the inhalation of wildfire smoke or the experience of childhood trauma.

13 Nov 2023

What is the course and stability of maternal depressive symptoms throughout the perinatal period?

Researchers examined maternal depressive symptoms in diverse observational cohorts.

31 Oct 2023

Social adversity and stress leave distinct signatures on mom and baby gut health

Researchers evaluate the effect of social disadvantages and psychological stressors on the gut microbiome of mothers and their infants.

24 Sep 2023

Did the gut microbiome composition of infants change during the COVID-19 pandemic?

A recent study compared infant gut microbiome composition before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

21 Aug 2023

The benefits and harms of screening for anxiety disorders in asymptomatic adults

Researchers examined the different aspects of screening for anxiety disorders in adults.

22 Jun 2023

Pandemic's hidden impact: Distressed mothers experience altered placental development, raising concerns for offspring

COVID-19 has led to increased prenatal maternal distress (PMD), potentially impacting placental development. Using advanced MRI, researchers examined placental structure in 63 pregnant women during the pandemic and 165 pre-pandemic controls.

15 May 2023

Young kids with common ENT problems may be at subsequent risk of autism

Young children with common ear, nose, and throat (ENT) issues may be at subsequent risk of autism or high levels of demonstrable autism traits, suggests research published online in the open access journal BMJ Open.

25 Apr 2023

Maternal psychosocial stress may impact the developing infant gut microbiome

Researchers determined the impact of the psychosocial stress experienced by the mother on the gut microbiome of the infant.

15 Apr 2023

The effects of COVID-19 on stress, depression, and anxiety in pregnant and postpartum women

A recent study published in the journal Midwifery evaluated depression, stress, and anxiety in pregnant and postpartum individuals during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

23 Mar 2023

Prenatal intervention benefits mothers' mental health up to eight years later

A low-cost, prenatal intervention benefits mothers' mental health up to eight years later, a new UC San Francisco study finds.

30 Nov 2022

Study identifies a potential biological marker to help diagnose postpartum depression

A federally funded study led by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers discovered that communication among cells is altered in pregnant women who go on to develop postpartum depression (PPD) after giving birth.

4 Oct 2022

Does maternal psychological and biological stress affect the composition of human breast milk?

Researchers investigated the influence of biological and psychological postpartum maternal stress on human milk fatty acid composition through a prospective cohort study in Amsterdam.

30 Sep 2022