Depression associated with hormonal birth control may indicate an increased risk of postpartum depression. That was the finding of a study by researchers at the University of Copenhagen, who analyzed Danish health registry data from more than 188,600 first-time mothers between 1995 and 2017. The researchers suggest it could help identify people at risk and improve treatment. At a glance: — Postpartum depression mirrors regular depression, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but may include additional symptoms, such as doubting your ability to care for your baby. — Compared to the so-called baby blues, postpartum depression is more intense and lasts longer than the tiredness, sadness or worry many people experience after giving birth, the CDC says. — Thirteen percent of women reported having symptoms of depression after childbirth, according to the 2018 CDC data. — Untreated postpartum depression is associated with health problems for the mother and poorer mother-infant bonding, the CDC says. — The pandemic might have intensified the problem. A third of women in a University of Michigan study conducted during the first year of the pandemic reported postpartum depression symptoms. In the study, a depressive episode linked to birth control was defined as a patient being prescribed antidepressants or receiving a depression diagnosis within six months of starting hormonal contraception. Since the researchers could only identify severe depression, there could potentially be implications for women who have less severe symptoms that don’t reach the level of a formal diagnosis or that they don’t seek treatment for. Takeaways: “It’s important to know that there’s a subgroup of people who are particularly susceptible to hormonal transitions and the mood changes related to it," Lucy Hutner, a reproductive psychiatrist in New York not associated with the study, told Erin. Ultimately, the goal of identifying at-risk patients is to treat them faster. “If we catch these positive cases, it’s not like they’re just going to sit there and have severe depression, and there’s nothing that we can do about it,” Hutner said, adding, “This is a treatable condition.” |