Pregnancy is considered to be one of the most happiest times in a woman’s life and probably the safest. This is not entirely true. Pregnancy can bring a mother to depression because of hormonal changes.

Depression pregnancy
Pregnancy is considered to be one of the most happiest times in a mother’s life. For some women, this could turn to an instance of depression during their pregnancy. Almost one in ten women experiences the depression symptoms during their pregnancy.

Moodiness is often mistaken as sadness during pregnancy. The hormonal changes that a woman’s body goes through, leads to mood swings, which in turn lead to depression. This could be harmful for the mother as well as the child.

There are no perfect set of symptoms of depression that can be diagnosed in a pregnant woman, as they differ from person to person. Some women might be in a low mood all the time and some might be extremely sensitive and irritable. Depression not only affects the mother mentally but also physically and can affect her behavior.

Here are some common depression symptoms that can be found in pregnant women:

Unable to concentrate on their daily chores
Increasingly anxious about various tasks
Feeling irritated very fast if things don’t go her way
Irregular sleep during the day
Getting tired very soon and staying tired the whole day
Wanting to eat all day without being hungry or not eating at all
Sensing that nothing is enjoyable and that they have lost their purpose in life
Continued sadness in anything they do

There are two types of depression in pregnant women:

Prenatal depression

Depression that occurs during or within a year of the pregnancy stage is called prenatal depression. This type of depression is often not recognized and treated because a normal pregnancy causes similar symptoms. The changes the body goes through could lead to tiredness, sleeping problems, extremely emotions and variations in body weight in a normal pregnancy. These are also symptoms of depression.

Here are some reasons why a woman could be experiencing depression during her pregnancy:

The woman might already have a history of depression or even drug abuse
There might be a history of mental illness in her family
She might be facing a lack of support from her family and friends
She could be over anxious about her foetus
The mother might have suffered problems during her previous pregnancy
She might be going through a marital or financial problem
Depression is also possible in young mothers who have not come of age to be able or in a position to bear a child.

Postpartum depression

Depression occurring after the pregnancy is called as postpartum depression or peripartum depression. After pregnancy, a woman undergoes hormonal changes in her body again and this might trigger depression. During pregnancy, the two important female hormones (estrogen and progesterone) increase in the body. Within the 24 hours of the birth of the child, these same hormones rapidly drop to their normal levels.

Here are some symptoms of postpartum depression:

Feeling very tired after the delivery, irregular sleep or not having sufficient rest could keep the mother from regaining her prior strength.

The mother could be feeling overwhelmed about her new child and might be unsure of her ability of being a good mother to the child.

After pregnancy, a woman’s life changes and revolves around her child. This could lead to disturbances in her home or work routine. Trying to handle all these things at one time could lead to high stress levels in the mother.

Author Bio: Jim Karter has co-ordinated with the sites:- Provigil and Depression Cortisol and Depression Acupuncture and Depression Depression disability

Category: Medicines and Remedies
Keywords: depression,depression symptoms,depression treatment,antidepressants,types of antidepressants