Magnitude and risk factors for postpartum symptoms: a literature review.

Postpartum depression in Asian cultures: A literature review

Throughout most of their lives, women are at greater risk for depression than men. Hormones and neurotransmitters share common pathways and receptor sites in areas of the brain linked to mood, particularly through the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. It has been hypothesized that women presenting with episodes of depression associated with reproductive events (i.e., premenstrual, postpartum, menopausal transition) may be particularly prone to experiencing depression, in part because of a heightened sensitivity to intense hormonal fluctuations. The menopausal transition, for example, appears to represent a window during which some women might be more vulnerable to the development of first onset or recurrent depressive symptoms and major depressive episodes. In this review, we examine the association between hormone changes and increased risk of developing depression. Some of the underlying mechanisms that may contribute to such an increased risk are discussed critically, with a special emphasis on the events occurring during the menopausal transition. Last, we explore some of the clinical and therapeutic implications of hormone-modulated depression in women.

/pdf/reproductive-hormone-sensitivity-and-risk-for-depression-ie72j5d020.pdf

Reproductive hormone sensitivity and risk for depression across the female life cycle: a continuum of vulnerability?

From the third month of pregnancy to 1 year postpartum. Prevalence, incidence, recurrence, and new onset of depression. Results from the perinatal depression-research & screening unit study.

Prevalence and factors associated with the development of antenatal and postnatal depression among Jordanian women

A multicentre study on the epidemiology of perinatal depression was conducted among Japanese women expecting the first baby (N = 290). The incidence rate of the onset of the DSM-III-R Major Depressive Episode during pregnancy (antenatal depression) and within 3 months after delivery (postnatal depression) were 5.6% and 5.0%, respectively. Women with antenatal depression were characterised by young age and negative attitude towards the current pregnancy, whereas women with postnatal depression were characterised by poor accommodation, dissatisfaction with sex of the newborn baby and with the emotional undermining. Antenatal depression was a major risk factor for postnatal depression.

/pdf/multicentre-prospective-study-of-perinatal-depression-in-24nixx9eml.pdf

N. Kudo

Papers

Multicentre prospective study of perinatal depression in Japan: incidence and correlates of antenatal and postnatal depression.

Oral Iron Absorption of Ferric Citrate in Haemodialysis Patients: The Prospective, Multicentre, Observational R-OIAT Study