Depression can be seen in women during and after pregnancy, as in other times, and can recur in other pregnancies.
The majority of postpartum depression is seen with psychological stress, including baby care, and the effect of postpartum hormonal changes, but a very small one. Some are also symptoms of bipolar disorder.
Depression is a disease that affects 1 in 4 women at some point in their lives. It usually begins in the 20s and 30s, when women are also considering having children. If you or someone you know has depression, you may be wondering whether it is safe to become pregnant, especially if you are taking medication, or whether it is safe to continue taking medication if you are already pregnant.
Depression during pregnancy:
Contrary to popular belief, pregnancy does not protect a woman from becoming depressed. About 20% of women experience some depressive symptoms during pregnancy, and about 10% may develop major depression. Women who have had major depression in the past have a risk of recurrence of depression during pregnancy, especially if they stop their antidepressant medications while planning a pregnancy.
Treatment of depression in a woman who wants to become pregnant or is pregnant is a process decided by the physician and the patient together. Psychotherapy may be helpful for mild symptoms, but antidepressant treatment is often necessary to treat severe major depression.
The passage of antidepressants across the placenta can be alarming for the expectant mother. Untreated major depression carries the risk of causing malnutrition, smoking, alcohol use, suicidal behavior, premature birth and low birth weight for the mother and the fetus.
Information on the effects of drugs on pregnant women is limited. Drug studies are not conducted on pregnant women due to ethical concerns. Available information is obtained from the records of pregnant women who have taken pharmaceutical companies' products and from the follow-up in hospitals and presenting the information of women who used antidepressants during pregnancy.
Treatment while planning pregnancy
Those with depression. Many women may want to become pregnant while taking antidepressants to prevent symptoms. Whether or not the medication should be discontinued depends on how serious the history of depression is.
If a woman has had an episode of depression and has been feeling well for at least 6 months, the medication can be tapered before trying for pregnancy. It may be necessary to stop taking the drug a few weeks before pregnancy to eliminate its residues in the body.
Psychotherapy can help prevent the symptoms from recurring. However, if a woman has a history of multiple episodes of severe major depression, experts may recommend continuing the full dose of medication throughout the pregnancy.
If she is already taking an antidepressant that is considered safe, it may be continued. However, it is recommended that a woman taking a drug about which little information is available switch to another drug that is thought to be safer.
Treatment in the first trimester of pregnancy
First trimester of pregnancy (the first 3 months, i.e. the first 12 weeks) is an important time when medications may cause some disabilities in the newly developing baby in the womb. Women may be using antidepressants at the beginning of pregnancy for any of the reasons discussed above, or they may have an unplanned pregnancy while using the medication.
If there have been only mild symptoms in the past, experts recommend slowly discontinuing the medication within a few weeks as soon as you find out you are pregnant. (Although it's worth remembering that it's a good idea to discontinue medication in the period before trying for pregnancy, unless there's been more than one episode of severe depression.)
For a woman with a history of multiple episodes of severe depression, experts clearly recommend continuing her current medication. and, if necessary, opt for a switch to a drug that is viewed as relatively safe. In those with a single but severe episode, experts are divided on whether to continue or discontinue medication.
In all these cases, whether using medication or not, experts recommend using psychotherapy to help prevent recurrence of depression.
There is no concern about the drugs causing malformation of the organs later in the pregnancy. However, there are still questions about whether medications can cause delays or subtle changes in the early development of a future child.
If there was a reason to use medication in the first trimester (such as episodes of severe depression), during pregnancy or in the past Because women with depression are susceptible to postpartum depression, medication should probably be continued throughout labor.
Read: 0
