Perinatal Depression: What It Is And How To Treat It

Worldwide, approximately 10 percent of pregnant women experience some sort of mental disorder, depression being the most common one. Thirteen percent of women experience such conditions after giving birth. Many think of pregnancy as such a happy time that it can be difficult to understand that such a beautiful thing can bring about depression. But it is important to remember that mental health issues can happen to anyone, including women expecting to add a new little one to their family.

If you pull back the mask on the baby showers with cute diaper cakes and gender reveal parties with pretty balloons, you can start to see how this transition could cause some emotional upset. There are so many new fears and concerns about one’s identity and responsibilities in this world after becoming a mother. Not to mention the hormonal imbalances that can lead to mental disorders. Many are familiar with the concept of post-partum depression, but not as many people are aware of the larger issue of perinatal depression. Let’s take a look at what that is, and how you can treat it.

Perinatal depression is a collective term that encompasses both prenatal and postpartum depression. It refers to the period immediately before and after giving birth. There are various definitions of this exact time frame. A strict definition says it begins at 22 weeks gestation and ends seven days after giving birth. However, many experts agree that the timeline is looser, and it begins somewhere between the 20^th and 28^th week of gestation and ends somewhere between one and four weeks after birth.