Pregnant women with a history of depression who used psychiatric medication have triple the risk of premature child delivery, U.S. researchers found.
Researchers at the University of Washington, University of Michigan and Michigan State University found that a combination of medication use and depression -- either before or during pregnancy was strongly linked to delivery before 35 weeks' gestation.
Lead author Amelia Gavin of the University of Washington said the findings highlight the need for carefully planned studies that can clarify associations between depression, psychiatric medications and preterm delivery.
READ MORE @ UPI
Showing posts with label preterm birth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label preterm birth. Show all posts
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Coping With Depression During Pregnancy
Christine Doherty Ashley, currently six months pregnant, realizes that her first trimester was fraught with depression. Now, with the perspective of an improved mood, Ashley recalls being particularly judgmental of her doldrums, questioning, "Am I allowed to say I'm sad or that I hate how I feel?" Nausea kept her on the couch and logistics kept her isolated: She was a high school teacher on summer break, had just moved to a new town, and she and her husband were not yet sharing the news because, at 41, she was at higher risk of early miscarriage. "It was a perfect storm," she explains.
Depression in pregnancy not only causes mom to suffer; it can also pose health risks to the baby. Research published today in the journal Human Reproduction found that women with symptoms of depression were more likely to experience a preterm birth. The greater the severity of depression symptoms, the greater the likelihood of early delivery. This research adds "strong evidence that depression during pregnancy is bad for the fetus," says lead study author De-Kun Li, reproductive and perinatal epidemiologist at Kaiser Permanente's Division of Research in Oakland, Calif., "This should not be dismissed anymore." Preterm birth, write the study authors, is the leading cause of infant mortality and medical expenditures for newborns.
READ MORE @ U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT
Depression in pregnancy not only causes mom to suffer; it can also pose health risks to the baby. Research published today in the journal Human Reproduction found that women with symptoms of depression were more likely to experience a preterm birth. The greater the severity of depression symptoms, the greater the likelihood of early delivery. This research adds "strong evidence that depression during pregnancy is bad for the fetus," says lead study author De-Kun Li, reproductive and perinatal epidemiologist at Kaiser Permanente's Division of Research in Oakland, Calif., "This should not be dismissed anymore." Preterm birth, write the study authors, is the leading cause of infant mortality and medical expenditures for newborns.
READ MORE @ U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT
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