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Postpartum Depression
- Topic Overview
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Health Tools
- Cause
- Symptoms
- What Happens
- What Increases Your Risk
- When To Call a Doctor
- Exams and Tests
- Treatment Overview
- Prevention
- Home Treatment
- Medications
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- Other Places To Get Help
- Related Information
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Every woman is at risk for temporary "postpartum blues" during the first 2 weeks after childbirth, because of sudden hormone changes and the challenges of caring for a newborn. Women who have miscarried or had a stillbirth are also at risk.
But there are also known factors that increase your risk of having long-term depression after pregnancy. If you have had postpartum depression before, you are at high risk of having it again. Other risk factors include:1
- Poor support from family, partner, and friends.
- High life stress, such as a sick or colicky newborn, financial troubles, or family problems.
- Physical limitations or problem symptoms after childbirth.
- Depression during a current pregnancy.
- Previous depression.
- Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depression, which also increases the risk of dangerous psychotic behavior after childbirth.
- A family history of depression or bipolar disorder.
- Previous premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), which is the severe type of premenstrual syndrome (PMS).
Postpartum psychosis
Risk factors for postpartum psychosis include:1
- A personal or family history of bipolar disorder. Women with this risk factor are three times more likely to have postpartum psychosis symptoms than women with no bipolar history.4
- Previous postpartum psychosis.
If you have had postpartum psychosis before, you are at high risk for having psychotic symptoms again in the future.4 Your doctor will want to watch you closely, particularly if you become pregnant again.
| By: | Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: November 5, 2010 |
| Medical Review: | Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine Lisa S. Weinstock, MD - Psychiatry | |
© 1995-2011 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
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