Prenatal Depression News and Research

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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

COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated childbirth fear among pregnant people

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated fear of childbirth among pregnant people in the U.S., according to a new Dartmouth study.

13 May 2023

COVID-19 diagnosis among pregnant and postpartum individuals showed distinct patterns by rurality of residence and select pregnancy conditions

Researchers estimated the trends and prevalence of coronavirus disease 2019 among postpartum and pregnant individuals.

26 Apr 2023

Prenatal depression may be related to postpartum cardiovascular disease diagnosis

Individuals who were diagnosed with depression during pregnancy were more likely to be diagnosed with cardiovascular disease within two years after giving birth than individuals without depression, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open-access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

19 Apr 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

NIH awards $2.1 million grant to UMass Amherst epidemiologist

A University of Massachusetts Amherst epidemiologist has been awarded a five-year, $2.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to continue research that aims to understand how physical and mental health during pregnancy can help predict cardiovascular and mental health disorders in middle age.

2 Nov 2022

Autistic people are more vulnerable to mental health difficulties during pregnancy

Autistic people are more vulnerable to depression and anxiety during pregnancy, according to new research from the University of Cambridge.

26 Oct 2022

Postpartum women's experience of social restrictions during COVID-19

A new study published on the medRxiv* preprint server has focused on the effect of various social restrictions or lack of social support on women who delivered and raised babies during the pandemic.

27 Oct 2021

Partners can directly influence pregnant woman's likelihood of drinking alcohol, study finds

A new study by a team of University of Rochester psychologists and other researchers in the Collaborative Initiative on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders finds that partners of mothers-to-be can directly influence a pregnant woman's likelihood of drinking alcohol and feeling depressed, which affects their babies' development.

2 Jun 2021

Prenatal depression influences child's behavior by altering brain connectivity

Altered brain connectivity may be one way prenatal depression influences child behavior, according to new research in JNeurosci.

6 Aug 2020

Cannabis use more prevalent among pregnant women with depression

Cannabis use is much more common among pregnant women with depression and pregnant women with depression are more than 3 times more likely to use cannabis than those without depression, according to a new study at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

3 Mar 2020

Research looks at prenatal cannabis use

More and more, pregnant women today are using cannabis, which is mostly for relieving stress and coping with mood changes. However, the risk associated with this for pregnant women who have mental ill-health or trauma is mostly unexplored.

19 Feb 2020

Study finds link between infant sleep duration and mother's level of education, prenatal depression

A new study analyzing data from Canadian parents has found that babies sleep less at three months of age if their mothers do not have a university degree, experienced depression during pregnancy or had an emergency cesarean-section delivery.

28 Feb 2019

Prenatal maternal depression has important consequences for infant temperament, study shows

A new Infant Mental Health Journal study demonstrates that prenatal maternal depression has important consequences for infant temperament. Furthermore, the negative impact of prenatal maternal depression appeared to be magnified when pregnant women lived through Superstorm Sandy.

6 Feb 2019

Father’s genes can affect quality of maternal care received by a newborn

A father’s genes are no longer thought to just provide a blueprint for the growth and development of their offspring.

1 Aug 2018

Research examines effects of antidepressant use on health of mother and child

The use of antidepressants during pregnancy has no long term neurodevelopmental or behavioural effects on the child, however they may be associated with an increased risk of postpartum haemorrhage, suggests the findings from three studies published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (BJOG).

16 Sep 2015

Women with a history of depression at risk for developing diabetes during pregnancy

A history of depression may put women at risk for developing diabetes during pregnancy, according to research published in the latest issue of the Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing by researchers from Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing.

1 Apr 2015

Mothers should let their babies ‘cry it out’ when they wake up at night: Study

Today, mothers of newborns find themselves confronting a common dilemma: Should they let their babies "cry it out" when they wake up at night? Or should they rush to comfort their crying little one?

3 Jan 2013

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