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Up to 20 per cent of women experience postpartum depression or other maternal mental illness following birth. Though they’ve existed in Europe for decades, the first Mother and Baby Unit in the United States opened in 2011 and none currently exist in Canada. [More]

A new study published in the Journal of Depression and Anxiety (the official journal of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America) has found stress and immune biomarkers that link children and their mothers who suffer from postpartum depression. The current study, titled, Maternal depression alters stress and immune biomarkers in mother and child, is part of a 15-year longitudinal study that followed children of depressed mothers from birth to age ten. [More]

One of the front line treatments for pregnant and postpartum women suffering from depression and anxiety is selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). But due to a lack of research on SSRIs in females, little is known about their effects across the maternal spectrum as well as on infants exposed to the drug through breast milk. [More]

The advice is to sleep when the baby sleeps but how much of an impact does frequent interrupted sleep have on the mental health of new parents? And are there other factors besides caring for a newborn that could be causing poor sleep quality for pregnant and postpartum moms? [More]

Postpartum anxiety is common yet we don’t hear of it as often as we do postpartum depression even though it results in “highly detrimental” and long-term effects on a mother and child. A woman is more susceptible to anxiety in the postpartum period than at any other time of her life. [More]

Researchers are looking into the biological causes of perinatal depression. The hope is that one day there will be a biological test for women. [More]

Many maternal mental health advocates are calling for universal perinatal depression screening. This new study looks at whether the evidence supports screening mothers during baby visits with a pediatrician. [More]

Researchers are becoming increasingly interested in the effects of perinatal depression on prevalence rates of childhood disorders like Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. A recent study found that women with depression in pregnancy and postpartum result in higher rates of children with ADHD. [More]

Researchers tested two methods of prenatal depression screening and found them both to be effective. The Whooley questions and the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale should both be used by health care professionals during early pregnancy and throughout pregnancy. [More]

Researchers may be one step closer to a biological cause for postpartum depression. A study using mice may show why some women develop postpartum depression and others don't. [More]