Stress during adolescence may raise the risk of postpartum depression in adulthood, a recent study has revealed.
Postpartum depression (PPD) is a complex mix of physical, emotional, and behavioral changes that happen in one out of 10 women after delivery. It is believed to be caused due to factors such as chemical, social, and psychological changes related to delivery.
“PPD is difficult to treat,” said senior study author, Dr. Akira Sawa, from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “Unfortunately, everyone knows someone who has suffered or currently suffers from PPD, and it has such a huge impact on both mother and baby.”
According to the results of the latest mice study published in the journal Nature Mental Health by the research team from Johns Hopkins Medicine, social stress during adolescence in female mice later results in prolonged elevation of the hormone cortisol after they give birth.
Based on the increased hormone levels observed in the mice study, researchers suggest that similar hormonal changes could be expected in postpartum women who had adverse early life experiences. These findings imply that early life stress could contribute to the worsening of postpartum depression from a pathophysiological standpoint.
For conducting experiments, the researchers grouped mice into four: unstressed virgins, stressed virgins, unstressed mothers, and stressed mothers. Stressed mice were isolated during their teen years, and all the groups were checked for their stress levels. A week after giving birth, he stressed mothers showed signs of depression, such as reduced movement and less interest in sugar, which lasted for at least three weeks post-delivery.
The researchers then measured hormone levels and found that cortisol was higher in mothers with or without early life stress. However, in unstressed mothers, cortisol returned to normal levels after birth, while in stressed mothers the levels were high for one to three weeks after delivery. This…
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