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AARHUS, Denmark, Dec 6, 2006 (UPI via COMTEX) -- A Danish study on severe postpartum mental disorders found that 1-in-1,000 women require hospitalization within three months of having their first baby.
The findings call attention to a post-delivery period when hormones such as estrogen and progesterone, elevated during pregnancy, fall sharply and possibly trigger disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or depression, the Chicago Tribune said Wednesday.
About 60 percent to 70 percent of new mothers experience so-called baby blues, a short-lived, mild mood disorder. However, between 10 percent and 15 percent suffer postpartum depression, a more serious mental disorder that can last months.
The study, led by Trine Munk-Olsen of the University of Aarhus, involved first-time mothers and fathers from 1973 to 2005. The researchers found 1.03 women per 1,000 births suffered from a mental disorder that required hospital admission. Being a first-time father did not affect the rate of mental disorders among men.
"This may indicate that the causes of postpartum mental disorders are more strongly linked to an altered physiological process related to pregnancy and childbirth than psychosocial aspects of motherhood," said Munk-Olsen.
The study appeared in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association.
URL: www.upi.com Copyright 2006 by United Press International
