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Depression linked to preterm babies

Mothers who are depressed before falling pregnant have a higher chance of a preterm birth.

By Joene Hendry

Pic: Getty Images

Article originally in Reuters

Both black and white women with symptoms of depressive mood prior to becoming pregnant have increased risk for preterm birth; but black women have twice the risk as white women, researchers report in the Journal of Women's Health.

"The black-white disparity in preterm birth may be in part a consequence of different exposures to depressive mood prior to pregnancy," Dr. Amelia R. Gavin, at the University of Washington in Seattle, told Reuters Health.

However, previous investigations of this association were inconclusive, leading Gavin and colleagues to assess links between race, preterm birth, and prepregnancy depressive mood among 555 women who were 24 years old on average when they gave birth.

The researchers used data collected from 1990 through 1996 for a larger long-term investigation of heart disease risk, in which the women had participated.

In the current study, 18.1 percent of the 249 black women gave birth prior to 37 weeks gestation. This preterm birth rate was more than twice the 8.5 percent rate seen among the 306 white women.

Prepregnancy depressive mood was also more prevalent among black versus white women - 9.4 versus 7.2 percent. Depression scale examinations conducted in 1990 to 1991, showed black women with higher depressive mood scores than white women - 13.0 versus 9.5.

Furthermore, black women's risk for preterm birth remained more than twice that of white women's risk when Gavin's team allowed for other factors associated with preterm birth, such as body weight and sociodemographic characteristics.

"Reproductive outcomes must be viewed in light of women's health over the entire life-course, as well as during pregnancy," Gavin said.

These current findings suggest "the experience of cumulative health disadvantages or 'weathering,'" may play a role in increased risk for preterm birth, Gavin notes.

She and colleagues, therefore, suggest replication of this study in a larger population of women.

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Bronwyn

7/1/2009 3:02 PM

I can totally relate - I have been diagnosed with major depression about two years ago. I am now 30 weeks pregnant and have been admitted to hospital twice (once on 24 weeks and the next 28 weeks) with premature labour pains - which they managed to stop. I am however expecting the baby very very soon.

Lindie

7/1/2009 1:15 PM

I just want to thank Parent24 for this article. I was diagnosed with severe depression two years ago and had an anxiety disorder. My son was born at 32 weeks - 8 weeks premature in September 2008. We are both very happy and healthy now.

Lindie

7/1/2009 1:11 PM

Alet - I was severely depressed before I fell pregnant - I had to take 7 different pills everyday. After the birth of my son (now 10mnths) I have not taken one pill for depression. I asked my psychiatrist about this and she advised me that sometimes pregnancy cures physical and psychological problems. Lee - the article is not about races but about a study that was conducted and based on statistics. In a way, they are helping by stating that some people are more likely to have problems than others - I found this article both informative and not racist at all.

Lee

7/1/2009 8:19 AM

Why,does it always have to boil down to races. Your article,irritated me! What a waste of a minute!

alet

6/30/2009 9:53 PM

I would like to know. A Lot of woman only gets depression after childbirth. Is it possible that when a woman suffers from depression before childbirth can become non depressed after giving birth due to hormonal changes

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