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Recognizing and Treating Antepartum Depression

The Usual Ups and Downs of Pregnancy?

While antepartum depression is a real condition that can affect your health and the health of your unborn child, many women never seek treatment at all. A pregnant woman named Jan* realizes she is experiencing depression, but hesitates to talk to her doctor.

"I rarely feel motivation to do the things I used to love," she says. "I feel ashamed most of the time and have not even admitted this to my doctor."

According to Trudy*, who started feeling depressed when she was about 5 months pregnant, "My doctor said [antepartum depression] was really very common, but that most women don't tell their doctors. She suggested that we treat it with antidepressants and even researched what drug was best to take without harm to the baby."

Lisa*, a 17-year-old who is expecting her first child in a few weeks, is another woman who sought help when feelings of depression started affecting her daily routine. She spoke to her midwife, who "took my feelings seriously. Now, at the end [of my pregnancy], I'm starting to feel a little better and look forward to motherhood."

Treating antepartum depression now may also prevent postpartum depression later. Starkman indicates that women with antepartum depression are two and a half times more likely to experience postpartum depression within six weeks of giving birth.

If you notice that signs of antepartum depression are affecting the enjoyment of your pregnancy, find support immediately from family, friends and care providers. Your doctor may not notice symptoms of depression unless you bring them to her attention, and your emotional health is just as important as your physical health to the baby inside you.

* Last name withheld to protect privacy.

Want to see more?

• Pregnant and Depressed? Find the Support You Need
• Postpartum Depression: Preventing Tragedy
• Postpartum Depression: When Having a Baby Gives You More Than the Blues
• Talk about it!

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