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Depressed Women May Be Apt To Deliver Early

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Published: December 6, 2008

A woman's mental health may affect her pregnancy, a recent study shows.

The small observational study published in the journal Human Reproduction looked at 791 women who were screened early in their pregnancies for symptoms of depression.

When they were, on average, 10 weeks pregnant, 326 of the women (about 41 percent) had depressive symptoms, including 172 whose symptoms were rated severe on a standardized scale. About 1.5 percent of the women had been prescribed an antidepressant.

Overall, 44 women gave birth prematurely (before 37 weeks gestation). Those with the most severe symptoms were more than twice as likely as women without depression to have a premature delivery; milder symptoms correlated to about a 60 percent increased risk.

About 12 percent of pregnant women deliver prematurely each year in the United States. And preterm births are a leading cause of infant deaths.

Although depression after childbirth, known as postpartum depression, is widely recognized, medical experts say experiencing depressive symptoms while pregnant also is common.

In this study, depression was measured in early pregnancy only. It also did not determine why depression might contribute to premature delivery.

To learn more about pregnancy and depression, go to www.womens health.gov/faq. For premature birth, go to www.marchofdimes.com.

The Washington Post

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