Pregnancy

Depression during Pregnancy

Depression and anxiety are commonly observed in at least 1 in 10 pregnant women, who suffer from bouts of depression ranging from moderate to severe episodes of major depression, affecting their ability to experience normal mood states associated to pregnancy.

Major depression is in fact a mood disorder. It is characterized by a depressed mood most time of the day, for at least every day during a 2-week period or longer, fatigue, restlessness, lack of energy, loss of interest in activities that usually were enjoyable, sleeping problems, and even recurrent thoughts of death or suicide.

It is believed that rapid increases in hormone levels during the first weeks of pregnancy is what disrupts brain chemistry leading to depression, although the hormonal changes of your body also contribute to the making you feel unusual anxious with associated worthiness sensation, hence causing depression.

Women can become depressed during pregnancy, but also suffer from postnatal depression occurring after the baby is born. Research has found that depression, stress and anxiety are all undiagnosed conditions in most pregnant women, who tend to experience change in moods but never consider those changes as a more serious condition increasing the risk for preterm labor.

Depression untreated can worsen mood swings, hampering your ability to care for yourself and your developing baby. However, depression is usually associated to risk factors that not all pregnant women may develop. More often, it is a family or personal history of depression, which may trigger pregnancy depression or leaving you susceptible to depression if any other factor contributes to it.

There are also a large number of cases showing that depression occurs when a woman faces fertility treatments before conceiving. When a woman undergoes multiple fertility procedures, she is under stressful circumstances, and dealing with emotional side effects of long months and even years of failed treatments with the hope of getting pregnant.

In addition, women who have relationship difficulties are more prone to depression. If you are facing a relationship problem during your pregnancy for whatever reason, talk to your partner to find a solution or get counseling. Your baby's arrival may improve your relationship or it may worsen it, adding unwanted strain on your relationship.

Seeking professional advice to repair your relationship may help as much as getting help to relieve your stress. Understanding your mood swings, receiving emotional therapy or getting the support you need during this stage of your life, is the wise decision to take in order to make your pregnancy a pleasant stage of your life instead of an agony.