A new hormone bio-marker could provide an early indication of postpartum depression (PPD), paving the way for quicker treatment.
Researchers from Weill Cornell Medicine and the University of Virginia School of Medicine in the United States have found women who go on to develop PPD may have characteristic levels of neuroactive steroids, molecules derived from the hormone progesterone, in their blood during the third trimester of pregnancy.
Weill Cornell Medicine Associate Professor Lauren Osborne said this may provide a way to identify women at risk of PPD before symptoms start, allowing doctors to intervene earlier.
Dr Osborne said PPD, severe depression that happened after giving birth, affected 10-15 percent of new mothers.
She said symptoms included difficulty bonding with the baby, feelings of hopelessness and sadness, fatigue, loss of appetite and difficulty sleeping.
“Postpartum is the only time in people’s lifespans when we know there is a biological trigger which guarantees that a certain percentage of people will become ill.
“If we can untangle this biology and find predictors for it, not only will we be helping women, but it may give us a step up in trying to find predictors for other psychiatric illnesses also.”
Read the full study: Neuroactive steroid biosynthesis during pregnancy predicts future postpartum depression: a role for the 3α and/or 3β-HSD neurosteroidogenic enzymes?
