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.

NCKU collaborates with Quanta Computer to launch QOCA baby for neonatal care

National Cheng Kung University, southern Taiwan, has collaborated with Quanta Computer to launch a cloud solution expecting to provide neonatal intensive care unit doctors and parents access to a live video stream that they can watch anywhere from mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.

27 May 2013

Stronger epigenetic changes in estrogen responsive genes linked to postpartum depression

The epigenetic modifications, which alter the way genes function without changing the underlying DNA sequence, can apparently be detected in the blood of pregnant women during any trimester, potentially providing a simple way to foretell depression in the weeks after giving birth, and an opportunity to intervene before symptoms become debilitating.

21 May 2013

Research: Home visits by health visitors promote health, wellbeing of children

Home visits by health visitors promoting health and positive parenting are invaluable in the early years of a child's life, research has confirmed.

26 Mar 2013

Majority of women have postpartum depressive symptoms, finds study

A surprisingly high number of women have postpartum depressive symptoms, according to a new, large-scale study by a Northwestern Medicine- researcher.

15 Mar 2013

Link between family support in pregnancy and reduced postpartum depression symptoms

Women who receive strong social support from their families during pregnancy appear to be protected from sharp increases in a particular stress hormone, making them less likely to experience depression after giving birth, a new study by UCLA life scientists indicates.

6 Mar 2013

Study: Women receiving social support during pregnancy less likely to develop postpartum depression

Women who receive strong social support from their families during pregnancy appear to be protected from sharp increases in a particular stress hormone, making them less likely to develop postpartum depression, according to a new study published in Clinical Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

5 Mar 2013

Postpartum depression could impact health of babies in Ghana

Postpartum depression not only affects mothers but it could mean higher health risks for the baby - especially in low-income countries like Ghana where the condition isn't well-recognized, University of Michigan Health System research shows.

9 Jan 2013

SLU receives $460,000 grant to expand efforts to detect and treat postpartum depression

Saint Louis University has received a three-year, $460,000 grant from the Maternal Child and Family Health Coalition (MCHFC) and St. Louis Mental Health Board to expand efforts to detect and treat postpartum depression in new mothers.

18 Dec 2012

Omega-3 fatty acids can benefit women at risk of postpartum depression

The "feel-good" hormone serotonin, depleted by pregnancy, can be replenished by adding sources of omega-3 to the diets of pregnant women and new mothers - a development particularly beneficial to the 10 to 15 percent of women at risk for postpartum depression, according to a recent University of Montreal study published in the latest edition of the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry.

29 Nov 2012

Low levels of omega-3 may be behind postpartum depression

Low levels of omega-3 may be behind postpartum depression, according to a review lead by Gabriel Shapiro of the University of Montreal and the Research Centre at the Sainte-Justine Mother and Child Hospital.

16 Nov 2012

Maternal mental health important to successful motherhood but overlooked

In the Huffington Post's "Global Motherhood" blog, Christy Turlington Burns, founder of Every Mother Counts, writes, "On the list of health risks women are subjected to, mental health seldom reaches the top. And while there are a lot of stigmas around many diseases, there may not be a close rival to the stigma those with diseases of the mind face each day. Mental illness pushes those who are already marginalized in developed and developing societies, even further into the margins."

25 Oct 2012

Pregnancy stress can cut brain benefits of motherhood

A new study in animals shows that chronic stress during pregnancy prevents brain benefits of motherhood, a finding that researchers suggest could increase understanding of postpartum depression.

15 Oct 2012

Up to 1 out of every 5 pregnant and new mothers will experience PPD and anxiety

Up to 1 out of every 5 pregnant and new mothers will experience prenatal or postpartum depression (PPD) and anxiety. Most women are undiagnosed and inadequately treated, if treated at all.

28 Jun 2012

ULH hopes to help women at risk of PPD through new policy

Although 13 percent of new mothers experience postpartum depression (PPD) in the first year after childbirth, few women recognize the symptoms and seldom discuss their feelings with a health care provider. University of Louisville Hospital (ULH) hopes to change this statistic through a new policy to guide hospital-based perinatal nurses in caring for women with risk of PPD.

23 Jun 2012

Teen mothers more likely to suffer abuse and postpartum depression than older moms

Teen mothers are far more likely to suffer abuse and postpartum depression than older moms, according to a study of Canadian women's maternity experiences by a University of Alberta researcher.

20 Jun 2012

The Healing Group launches Hey Mom! campaign

The Healing Group, a Salt Lake City-based women's wellness center, today announced the launch of its Hey Mom! campaign, designed to raise awareness, offer support and reduce the stigma commonly associated with postpartum depression (PPD) and related disorders.

15 Jun 2012

Checking for specific genetic variants can help identify women at high risk of PND

Researchers at Warwick Medical School have discovered a way of identifying which women are most at risk of postnatal depression (PND) by checking for specific genetic variants.

10 May 2012

Cigna encourages new mothers to get screened for prenatal and postpartum depression

A mother's emotional health is as important as her physical health during pregnancy and after delivery. That's why, during May, Maternal Depression Awareness Month, Cigna (NYSE: CI) is encouraging soon-to-be and new mothers to get screened and understand the symptoms of prenatal and postpartum depression.

8 May 2012

Group intervention for postpartum depression

A study performed in Hungary and published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics introduces a new group intervention that may prevent depression after delivery.

2 May 2012

Placentophagia may offer benefits to human mothers

A paper by neuroscientists at the University at Buffalo and Buffalo State College suggests that ingestion of components of afterbirth or placenta -- placentophagia -- may offer benefits to human mothers and perhaps to non-mothers and males.

28 Mar 2012