Depression during pregnancy not uncommon

New research has found one in ten mothers suffer from depression during pregnancy.

 

It was previously thought that pregnancy hormones helped protect against this, but hormonal changes during pregnancy can actually contribute to the development of depression.

 

There are now calls for more to be done to identify and treat the illness in pregnant women, following evidence that shows mental and emotional distress in the mother during pregnancy can affect the health of her baby.

 

A major new Irish study by a former King’s College London researcher hopes to show that when a mother’s depression is treated during pregnancy, their baby’s stress systems will normalise within the first year of birth.