Postpartum Depression: What Increases Your Risk

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What Increases Your Risk

Every woman is at risk for temporary "postpartum blues" during the first 2 weeks after childbirth, because of sudden hormone changes and the challenges of caring for a newborn. Women who have miscarried or had a stillbirth are also at risk. Overall, 20% of women with postpartum blues go on to suffer from postpartum depression (PPD).

But there are also known factors that increase your risk of having long-term depression after pregnancy. If you have had postpartum depression before, you are at high risk of having it again. About 50% of women with a PPD history will have PPD after a later pregnancy.⁶ Other risk factors include:

• Poor support from family, partner, and friends.
• High life stress, such as a sick or colicky newborn, financial troubles, or family problems.⁷
• Physical limitations or problem symptoms after childbirth.⁷
• First-time pregnancy.⁴
• Depression during a current pregnancy: 75% of women who are depressed during pregnancy will also have postpartum depression.⁶
• Previous depression: 25% of women who have ever had depression will have PPD.⁶
• Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depression, which also increases the risk of dangerous psychotic behavior after childbirth.⁶
• A family history of depression or bipolar disorder.
• Previous premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), which is the severe type of premenstrual syndrome (PMS).

Postpartum psychosis

Risk factors for postpartum psychosis include:^{2 4}

• A personal or family history of bipolar disorder. Women with this risk factor are 3 times more likely to have postpartum psychosis symptoms than women with no bipolar history.⁴
• Previous postpartum psychosis.

If you have had postpartum psychosis before, you are at high risk for having psychotic symptoms again in the future.⁴ Your doctor will want to watch you closely, particularly if you become pregnant again.

Last updated:	June 24, 2008
Author:	Jeannette Curtis
Reviewed By:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine, Lisa S. Weinstock, MD - Psychiatry
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Pat Truman, MATC