Low-income women with diabetes at increased risk for postpartum depression
Tuesday, February 24, 2009 - 16:42
in Health & Medicine
Researchers at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and the University of Minnesota have found that living just above the poverty line and having diabetes increases by 50 percent a woman’s chance of developing postpartum depression — a serious illness that affects about one in 10 new mothers.“While previous studies have linked diabetes and depression in the general population, this is the first time, to our knowledge, that the relationship has been studied specifically in pregnant women and new mothers,” says Katy Backes Kozhimannil, research fellow in the Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention at HMS and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. “We believe these findings may help clinicians better identify and treat depression in new mothers.”read more