Hormone levels predict postnatal depression risk

United states, February 3: Regular check-ups of hormone levels during pregnancy can help indicate woman's risk of developing postnatal depressiondefine.

The study was conducted by U.S. researchers and its findings were published in the Archives of General Psychiatry.

“The thing with postpartum depressiondefine is, once it is identified it usually be treated very well but the problem is that often women withdraw within themselves and don't seek help,” Dr Patrick O'Brien, Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, remarked.

Within four to six weeks of delivering a baby, there may be an onset of post-natal depression and it distresses nearly 10-15 percent of mothers, researchers maintained.

If a woman has a history of depression, stressful life events, a lack of social support, low self-esteem, anxiety or stress during pregnancy, it is almost certain that she will have post-natal depression.

The study observed and analyzed the pCRH hormone levels of 100 women who were at 25 weeks of their pregnancy. It helped the study investigators to find out why and how three-quarters of the participants were likely to fall prey to the "baby blues" or the post-natal depression.

In the study, blood samples of pregnant women were tested to assess their levels of hormonesdefine that could cause depression later. At 15, 19, 25, 31 and 37 weeks of pregnancy, their blood samples were taken and tested at two medical centers in California.

At the last four pregnancy visits and then at an average of 8.7 weeks post delivery, the symptoms of depression were tested in the women. Out of total study participants, symptoms of postnatal depression were found prominent in 16 women.

This led researchers to conclude that at 25 weeks, the pCRH levels can give a clear picture of development of depression after delivery.

This is the first study to explore the association between (pCRH) placental corticotropin-releasing hormone and onset of depression after delivery.

However, the experts said, an extensive and a large scale study is required to affirm this finding so that such midway hormone level tests to screen depression can be made mandatory part of the regular pregnancy checkups.