Do you feel like you are on the roller coaster of emotions during pregnancy? Few minutes of happy thoughts and after a second a move towards the dark and deep depression cave. 14 percent and 23 percent of pregnant women will experience depressive symptoms while pregnant and it is a well known fact that depression is common during pregnancy.
In 2003, approximately 13 percent of women took an antidepressant at some time during their pregnancy. Dr. Kimberly Ann Yonkers, one of the lead authors from Yale University said “Depression in pregnant women often goes unrecognized and untreated in part because of concerns about the safety of treating women during pregnancy.”
Infants born to women with depression have increased risk for irritability, less activity and attentiveness, and fewer facial expressions compared with those born to mothers without depression. Both depression symptoms and the use of antidepressant medications during pregnancy have been associated with negative consequences for the newborn.
Depression and its symptoms are also associated with fetal growth change and shorter gestation periods. And while available research still leaves some questions unanswered, some studies have linked fetal malformations, cardiac defects, pulmonary hypertension, and reduced birth weight to antidepressant use during pregnancy. Read more...