Antenatal depression , also known as Prenatal depression , is a form of clinical depression that can affect a woman during pregnancy, and may be a precursor to postpartum depression if not treated properly. It is estimated that 7% to 20% percent of pregnant women are affected by this condition. Any form of prenatal stress felt by the mother can have a negative effect on various aspects of fetal development, which can cause harm to the mother and child. Antenatal depression is often caused by stress and concerns that pregnancy can bring, only at a more severe level. Other risk factors include unplanned pregnancy, difficulty conceiving, abuse history, and economic or family circumstances.
Generally, the symptoms involve how the patient perceives himself, how he feels about living such a life-changing event, the restriction of the mother's lifestyle that will be the mother, or how the couple or family feel about the baby. Pregnancy places a significant strain on the woman's body, so some stress, mood swings, sadness, irritability, pain, and memory changes should be expected. Antenatal depression can be very harmful to the health of mothers, and infants, if not handled properly.
Video Antenatal depression
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Antenatal depression is classified by female symptoms. During pregnancy, many mood swings, memory, eating habits, and sleep are common. When these general characteristics become severe, and begin to change the daily life of a person, when it is considered an antenatal depression. Symptoms of antenatal depression are:
- Inability to concentrate.
- Difficulty remembering.
- Feeling emotionally numbed.
- The nature of extreme irritation.
- Too much or not enough sleep, or restless sleep.
- Extreme or endless fatigue.
- The desire to overeat, or not eat at all.
- Weight loss/improvement unrelated to pregnancy.
- Losing interest in sex.
- Fear of everything, including pregnancy.
- Feelings of failure or guilt.
- Continuous sadness.
- Thoughts of suicide, or death.
Other symptoms may include an inability to feel good about pregnancy, and/or the baby, the feelings of breaking up with the baby, and the inability to form/feel a bond with a developing baby. This can drastically affect the relationship between mother and baby, and can drastically affect the mother's capacity for self-care. Such inadequacies may cause a greater risk factor for the mother. Antenatal depression can be triggered by a variety of causes, including relationship problems, family history or personal depression, infertility, previous miscarriages, complications in pregnancy, and a history of abuse or trauma.
Onset & amp; duration of symptoms
Antenatal depression can be caused by many factors. Often associated with fear and stress pregnancy. Other factors include unwanted pregnancies, financial problems, life arrangements and relationships with dads & amp; family. Usually, symptoms of depression associated with pregnancy are categorized as postpartum depression, because the onset of symptoms that occur after delivery has occurred. Here are the details when a group of different women begin to experience the onset of symptoms associated with depression:
- 11.8 percent at 18 weeks
- 13.5 percent at 32 weeks
- 9.1 percent 8 weeks after birth
- 8.1 percent 8 months after birth
In a recent article posted by The BabyCenter, the authors state that "Over the years, experts have mistakenly believed that pregnancy hormones are protected against depression, making women more susceptible to disease only after the baby is born and their hormone levels fall." This is a possible explanation for why recent antenatal depression was identified.
Maps Antenatal depression
Cause
Antenatal depression affects about one in every eight women. This is becoming more common as more medical studies are being conducted. Antenatal depression was once thought to be just the normal stress associated with pregnancy, and waved as a common illness. This can be caused by many factors, usually though involving aspects of the mother's personal life such as, family, economic status, relationship status, etc. It can also be caused by hormonal and physical changes associated with pregnancy.
Treatment
Treatment for antenatal depression poses many challenges because the baby is also affected by the care given to the mother. It is recommended that emotional aspects be addressed first, including;
- Feel easy by relaxing if possible.
- Spend time with your partner.
- Talk about your fears & amp; anxiety involving pregnancy.
- Manage your stress.
Counseling is highly recommended for women suffering from antenatal depression. This is a very effective way for mom to express her feelings and explain in her own words what she feels. This is very effective because it gives the doctor a better insight into his symptoms and severity. In severe cases Drugs may be prescribed. This is usually only done if the symptoms have proved so severe that it interferes with daily life, self-care, and the ability to sleep. During pregnancy, there are two main types of antidepressants used during pregnancy; Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) and Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs). Once prescribed, anti-depressant drugs have been found to be very effective in treating antenatal depression. Patients can feel an increase in average mood within 2 to 3 weeks, and can begin to feel themselves really connected with their baby. Benefits of reported drugs include a back appetite, feeling connected, improved mood, increased energy, and better concentration. The side effects are small, although they are reported in some cases. Currently, there are no abnormalities in infants associated with antidepressant use during pregnancy.
It may be true that the use of maternal SSRIs during pregnancy can cause difficulties to adapt newborns to conditions outside the womb immediately after birth. Several studies have shown that infants with SSRI exposure in the second and third trimesters are more likely to be admitted to intensive care after their births for respiration, heart, low weight and other reasons, and that infants with prenatal SSRI exposures show less motor delivery control of infants not exposed to SSRI. Newborns exposed to SSRIs for five months or more before birth are at a greater risk for a lower Apgar score of 1 and 5 minutes after delivery, suggesting they have lower health than newborns who are not exposed to SSRIs before birth. However, prenatal SSRI exposure was not found to have a significant impact on the long-term mental and physical health of children. These results are inseparable from the effects of prenatal depression in infants.
See also
- Depression
- Mood swings
- Postpartum depression
- Pregnancy
- Postpartum psychosis
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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