Postpartum depression is a real problem that thousands of mothers suffer in silence, some for fear of being criticized or judged. Why does this happen? Are there factors that increase the chance of getting it?
A new study found that gestational age, body mass index, as well as the time of the year in which babies are born, could influence the chances of the mother suffering from postpartum depression.
What does the study say?
Presented in a press release published on the website of the American Association of Anesthesiologists, a study carried out with the participation of more than 20,000 women who gave birth between June 2015 and March 2017, I had the objective of finding out what were the factors that increased the risk of postpartum depression, to know if some of them could be avoided.
The study identified certain factors that increase or decrease the possibility of women suffering from postpartum depression: race, body mass index, gestational age at the time their babies are born, whether or not they received anesthesia, as well as the time of year in which they gave birth. Of the 20,198 women who participated, 563 cases of postpartum depression were identified.
One of the results that was found was that at a higher gestational age, that is, the more advanced the pregnancy, there was a lower risk of depression during postpartum. This coincides with an earlier study, in which there was talk that a premature birth favors postpartum depression. Researchers think this is because the older gestational babies were, the safer and calmer their mothers were of how they were.
Another of the factors that influence is the body mass index, of which it was found that the higher, the greater the probability of suffering from postpartum depression. The women in the study who had a higher BMI needed more follow-up appointments and had higher pregnancy-related complications.
Among all the races that were included in the study, it was found that Caucasian mothers were less likely to have postpartum depression. It is believed that a possible factor in this result is the socioeconomic situation, according to the ethnic group of each mother.
One result that researchers found interesting is that mothers giving birth in winter and spring had a lower risk of suffering from postpartum depression. This may be due to the fact that psychological care and support for mothers is better in situations with extreme weather.
It was also found that women who did not use anesthesia during childbirth could raise the risk of postpartum depression, this because the intensity of pain could be too traumatic for them.
Regarding the type of birth, it was found that there was no difference between delivery and caesarean section at the time of assessing the probability of having postpartum depression. The sex of the baby also does not influence the risk of suffering it.
Preventing postpartum depression is possible
It is important to remember that while scientific studies help us understand how and why certain situations occur, it does not mean that they strictly indicate what will happen. Everyone mentions that some factors could Increase or decrease certain risks.
However, these results serve as a reminder to improve some aspects of our lives and thus prevent the onset of postpartum depression. Taking care of our health before and during pregnancy, as well as having a support network, will help us to have a better postpartum. Because postpartum depression is more frequent than we imagine, but it has a solution.
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Via | Study Finds
In Babies and more | Postpartum depression is more frequent than you imagine, but it has a solution, The sincere photos of a mother that show the reality of her fight against postpartum depression
