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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Its not just postpartum depression women need to worry about -- they should also watch for depression before and during pregnancy.
A new Kaiser Permanente study reveals more than one-in-seven women are depressed at some time during the nine months before they become pregnant, during pregnancy, or during the nine months after they give birth. Nearly three-fourths of women who have postpartum depression were also depressed before they were pregnant.
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These findings show we need to pay more attention to depression before pregnancy, co-author Evelyn Whitlock, M.D., MPH, from Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research, was quoted as saying. While postpartum depression clearly is an important concern, we also need to consider the mental health and treatment needs of the many women who are depressed right before or during their pregnancies.
Dr. Whitlock added depression needs to be managed as a chronic condition in women of childbearing age instead of as a temporary condition triggered or relieved by getting pregnant or giving birth. Also, women with a history of depression should be closely monitored for symptoms during prenatal and postpartum care.
The study also shows nearly three-fourths of depressed women received an antidepressant before, during or after pregnancy. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) were the most commonly prescribed antidepressants.
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, which offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, click on: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: The American Journal of Psychiatry, 2007;164:1515-1520
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