Pregnancy is a wonderful time for the mother to be. But pregnancy brings with it many changes in the women’s body including physiological, biological and hormonal changes – all needed to help mum-to-be deliver a healthy baby.
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During that time a pregnant woman goes through many emotions and feelings and depression is one of them, affecting one in ten women in Australia. Up to one in seven women suffer from depression even after the birth of their child. Depression is a serious condition that not only affects the health of pregnant women but also affects a newborn’s development according to recent research.
Lower levels of a biomarker called Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been linked to depression in non-pregnant adults according to many studies.
But now a study from The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center found that lower levels of BDNF are responsible for depression in pregnant women and resultant low birth weight in babies.
Researchers took blood serum samples from 129 pregnant women during and after pregnancy. They observed BDNF levels drop during the first trimester through the third trimester and subsequently increase after birth. The researchers also found that black women exhibited higher levels of BDNF than white women during the perinatal period.
Lower BDNF levels during the second and the third trimester was associated with a greater incidence of depressive symptoms during the third trimester. Additionally, women delivering babies with a low weight showed significantly lower BDNF during the third trimester as compared to women who delivered healthy weight babies, but they both didn’t differ in depressive symptoms at any point during their pregnancy.
The researchers concluded that BDNF declines considerably during pregnancy with overall higher levels in black women. The risk for low birth weight associated with lower serum BDNF and corresponding higher depressive symptoms is the same for both black and white Women. While this study provides an impetus to investigate the links between racial differences and serum BDNF, for now researchers say that there are good ways to address the issue – through antidepressants which have shown to increase BDNF levels.
But this might not be appropriate for pregnant women as it may be risky and have side effects.
Another great way for increasing BDNF levels is through exercise. By being physically active with exercises approved by a doctor, pregnant women can be healthy, control BDNF levels and chase the blues away.
Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology
