Postpartum depression strikes as many as one in every 4 parents although prevalence is a variable that is affected by the health and wealth of the parent, which we’ll cover in a later article. Before we explore the prevalence, let’s look a little more closely at the risk factors of postpartum depression, or PPD. While there is no hierarchy that my research can find, birth-related psychological trauma and birth-related physiological trauma stand out as two that might be major causative agents. These are pretty major issues in their own right and will be also covered separately. Other risk factors include elevated prolactin levels (the protein that enables the production of breast milk) and oxytocin depletion. Oxytocin is a hormone that has a lot to do with childbirth, in fact the name is made up of the Greek words for ‘swift’ (oksys) and ‘birth’ (tokos). Large doses are released after the distension of the cervix and uterus during labour and this can cause depletion which will affect other hormone levels and thus, bring on PPD.
Posted on: Mon, 24 Nov 2014 23:37:52 +0000
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