Postpartum Depression News and Research

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Eighty percent of women experience some level of the baby blues after giving birth, and symptoms usually clear up on their own. One in eight-to-ten women experiences postpartum depression. When symptoms don't go away in a few weeks, women should seek help through health care providers and licensed counselors. Treatment may include talk therapy, medication, support groups, or a combination of these.

Online program increases depression treatment rates among adolescent mothers

An online program persuaded teenage mothers across 10 Kentucky counties to seek medical help for depression, highlighting an inexpensive way to increase mental health treatment rates for the vulnerable group, according to a University of Louisville study.

16 Mar 2018

Intermountain Medical Center launches rooming-in program to support bonding between mothers and newborns

Mothers and babies belong together -; which is why Intermountain Medical Center in Salt Lake City has launched a rooming-in program to support early bonding between mothers and newborns.

15 Feb 2018

Nurse calls cops after new mom seeks help for depression. Right call?

Four months after having her second baby, Jessica Porten started feeling really irritable. Little things would annoy her, like her glider chair.

7 Feb 2018

As marijuana laws relax, doctors say pregnant women shouldn’t partake

Two-year-old Maverick Hawkins sits on a red, plastic car in his grandmother’s living room in the picturesque town of Nevada City, Calif., in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. His playpal Delilah Smith, a fellow 2-year-old, snacks on hummus and cashews and delights over the sounds of her Princess Peppa Pig stuffie.

31 Jan 2018

Higher hair cortisol levels during pregnancy could be indicator of postpartum depression

Researchers from the University of Granada, who belong to the Brain, Mind and Behavior Research Center and the Faculty of Psychology, have proven that cortisol levels (a steroid hormone secreted as a response to stress) present in the hair of pregnant women during the first or third trimesters of pregnancy may indicate which of them are more likely to suffer postpartum depression.

14 Nov 2017

The Obesity Society position statement focuses on breastfeeding and obesity

In accordance with the World Health Organization recommendation of optimal infant feeding practices, and as interpreted in policy documents of the American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, it is the position of The Obesity Society that women should be encouraged and supported to exclusively breastfeed for approximately the first six months of an infant's life with continued breastfeeding through the infant's first year and beyond as age-appropriate complementary foods are introduced and as mutually desired by the mother and child.

31 Oct 2017

Perinatal social worker at Loyola Medicine wins national award for excellence

Rasa Ragas, LSW, was awarded the National Association of Perinatal Social Work Award for Excellence at the organization's recent national conference.

25 Oct 2017

Women who deliver in winter or spring have lower risk of postpartum depression

Women who give birth in winter or spring are less likely than women who deliver in the fall or summer to suffer from postpartum depression (PPD), suggests a study being presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2017 annual meeting.

23 Oct 2017

Family factors play critical role in shaping child's temperament

A new study indicates that a child's temperament may be influenced by maternal postpartum depression, maternal sensitivity, and family functioning.

20 Jul 2017

Study explores reasons for higher risk of depression in some women

It's no secret that the risk of depression increases for women when their hormones are fluctuating. Especially vulnerable times include the menopause transition and onset of postmenopause.

19 Jul 2017

UNC researchers evaluate investigational medication for treatment of postpartum depression

Researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine announced the publication of results from a multi-site phase 2 clinical trial with brexanolone, an investigational medication, in the treatment of severe postpartum depression.

13 Jun 2017

Physical exercise may be safe way to reduce postpartum depression

An analysis of published studies indicates that physical exercise during pregnancy and the postpartum period is a safe way to achieve better psychological well-being and to reduce postpartum depressive symptoms.

7 Jun 2017

Pregnant women more likely to be victim of assault-related trauma, study shows

Studies have found that one in six pregnant women have been abused by a partner – beaten, stabbed, shot, or even murdered.

5 May 2017

Study sheds new light on factors that may contribute to infant fussiness

How happy a mother is in her relationship and the social support she receives may affect the risk of infant colic, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers.

24 Apr 2017

Structured interviews may be effective in identifying women at risk of postpartum depression

For non-depressed, pregnant women with histories of major depressive disorder, preventive treatment with antidepressants may not necessarily protect against postpartum depression, according to new UCLA research.

21 Mar 2017

Low levels of allopregnanolone hormone may predict risk of postpartum depression

In a small-scale study of women with previously diagnosed mood disorders, Johns Hopkins researchers report that lower levels of the hormone allopregnanolone in the second trimester of pregnancy were associated with an increased chance of developing postpartum depression in women already known to be at risk for the disorder.

14 Mar 2017

New research reveals brain chemistry involved in human bonding

In new research published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Northeastern University psychology professor Lisa Feldman Barrett found, for the first time, that the neurotransmitter dopamine is involved in human bonding, bringing the brain's reward system into our understanding of how we form human attachments.

17 Feb 2017

Research provides insight into how infants and mothers bond through songs

As one of the first records of human music, infant-directed singing permeates cultural boundaries and parenting traditions. Unlike other forms of caregiving, the act of mothers singing to infants is a universal behavior that seemingly withstands the test of time.

17 Feb 2017

New study explores patient and physician perspectives toward maternal placentophagy

Placentophagy--maternal consumption of the placenta--has become increasingly prevalent in the past decade among women seeking to promote health and healing during the postpartum period.

2 Feb 2017

Gestational diabetes raises postpartum depression risk in first-time mothers

Researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the Karolinska Institutet have found that gestational diabetes raises the risk of postpartum depression (PPD) in first-time mothers.

18 Jan 2017