The pregnancy and postpartum periods are known as times when mood vulnerability is created. These disorders have different patterns and can disrupt women’s self-care process and hurt their maternal role after delivery.
Researchers conducted this study to investigate the relationship between weight gain in pregnancy and PPD in normal and overweight pregnant women.
This prospective cohort study participants were 223 healthy pregnant women with the first-trimester BMI between 18.5 and 30 and the gestational age of 10-14 weeks, and depressed women were excluded with the Beck questionnaire the first trimester. The evaluation included weight gain at the end of the second and third trimesters and the screening of PPD 6-8 weeks after delivery by Edinburgh scale.
Forty-nine participants were excluded from the study, and Researchers analyzed data from 174 people. The scale scored 32.2% of mothers above 12 on the Edinburgh scale. The only variable associated with depression was the third-trimester weight gain.
The study concluded that in addition to considering other risk factors for postpartum depression, health care providers should consider the higher probability of PPD in prepregnancy normal and overweight women who have excessive weight gain, especially in the third trimester of pregnancy.
Reference: https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jp/2018/9315320/
