[ad_1]
SUNDAY, October 14, 2018 – A new study suggests that women whose last stages of pregnancy occur during the short, dark days of winter are more likely to suffer from postpartum depression.
There is reduced exposure to sunlight – the same culprit that contributes to seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. It's a type of depression that usually starts in the fall and winter and disappears in the spring and summer.
The study authors said their findings should prompt physicians to encourage pregnant women at high risk of postpartum depression to increase their daylight exposure and increase their vitamin D levels.
Deepika Goyal, a professor of nursing at San Jose State University, led the study. She and her team looked at data from nearly 300 first-time mothers who participated in randomized controlled trials of pre- and post-pregnancy sleep.
The researchers examined the amount of daylight during the last trimester of pregnancy and other risk factors for postpartum depression, such as medical history, age, socioeconomic status and the quality of sleep.
Overall, participants had a risk of depression of 30%. Their chances were strongly influenced by the number of hours of clarity during the last month of pregnancy and immediately after childbirth.
Women in late pregnancy in winter were at 35% risk – the highest score – of postpartum depression. And their symptoms were more severe, according to the study.
Women whose third trimester coincided with longer hours of daylight had a 26% depression risk, the study showed.
"Among mothers for the first time, daytime in the third trimester, especially shorter durations compared to shorter, longer, or longer periods, was associated with concomitant severity of depressive symptoms," said Goyal.
The study was recently published in a special issue of the Journal of Behavioral Medicine devoted to postpartum health.
The researchers said that women in the third trimester could benefit from exposure to artificial light during the shortest months. This treatment, which could reduce the risk of depression, should continue for three months after delivery.
Pregnant women with a history of mental health problems and those with signs of depression should spend more time outdoors during the last months of pregnancy or use therapeutic devices such as light boxes to increase their health. exposure to light, said the researchers.
"Women should be encouraged to be frequently exposed to daylight throughout their pregnancy, in order to improve their vitamin D levels and suppress the melatonin hormone," Goyal said in a statement. Press.
Doctors should encourage pregnant women to do more outdoor physical activity if the weather permits and if it is safe for them, the researchers added.
"Daily walks during daylight hours can be more effective at improving mood than walking in a mall or using a treadmill in a gym," Goyal said. "Similarly, early morning or late evening walks can be relaxing, but would be less effective at increasing vitamin D exposure or suppressing melatonin."
More information
The US National Institute of Mental Health provides more information on postpartum depression.
Copyright © 2018 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
[ad_2]
Source link
