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Postpartum Depression: Woman
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Postpartum depression (PPD) can happen a few days or even months after childbirth. PPD can happen after the birth of any child, not just the first child. A woman can have feelings similar to the baby blues - sadness, despair, anxiety, irritability - but she feels them much more strongly than she would with the baby blues. PPD often keeps a woman from doing the things she needs to do every day. When a woman's ability to function is affected, this is a sure sign that she needs to see her health care provider right away. If a woman does not get treatment for PPD, symptoms can get worse and last for as long as 1 year.
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Depression after pregnancy is called postpartum depression or peripartum depression. After pregnancy, hormonal changes in a woman's body may trigger symptoms of depression. During pregnancy, the amount of two female hormones, estrogen and progesterone, in a woman's body increases greatly. In the first 24 hours after childbirth, the amount of these hormones rapidly drops back down to their normal non-pregnant levels. Researchers think the fast change in hormone levels may lead to depression, just as smaller changes in hormones can affect a woman's moods before she gets her menstrual period.
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Postpartum depression can begin at any time within the first three months after delivery. It can seriously threaten both the woman and her baby. Since the mother is seriously ill, she may not be able to care for her baby as she would if she were well. The disease may make it hard for the mother to breastfeed or bond with her baby. For these reasons, postpartum depression is a threat to newborns.
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No one knows for sure what causes postpartum depression (PPD). Hormonal changes in a woman's body may trigger its symptoms. During pregnancy, the amount of two female hormones, estrogen and progesterone, in a woman's body increase greatly. In the first 24 hours after childbirth, the amount of these hormones rapidly drops and keeps dropping to the amount they were before the woman became pregnant. Researchers think these changes in hormones may lead to depression, just as smaller changes in hormones can affect a woman's moods before she gets her menstrual period.
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Postpartum depression can affect all aspects of your life, including feelings about yourself, your baby's development and your family's functioning. Research has shown that postpartum depression left untreated may last 6 months or longer. Psychotherapy has been found to be effective in decreasing symptoms and improving a woman's sense of wellbeing.
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The "baby blues" is different than postpartum depression in that the blues usually subside in a few weeks and do not lead to a crisis situation in which the woman's ability to function is greatly impaired or lost. The "baby blues" usually occurs during the first week after birth and is characterized by feelings of sadness in the new mother, emotional instability, crying and fatigue. The symptoms are usually explained as the "letdown" that follows the emotionally charged experience of childbirth. "Baby blues" is self-limiting and resolves spontaneously.
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