San Francisco-based Shulamit Glaubach, MD, has experience in forensic, child, adolescent, and adult psychiatry. At her practice, Shulamit Glaubach, MD, treats patients with postpartum depression and other psychiatric conditions.

1. Factors That Contribute to
Postpartum Depression
Shulamit Glaubach MD

2. Introduction
• San Francisco-based Shulamit Glaubach, MD, has experience in forensic, child, adolescent,
and adult psychiatry. At her practice, Shulamit Glaubach, MD, treats patients with
postpartum depression and other psychiatric conditions.
Depression after pregnancy is called postpartum depression or peripartum depression.
After pregnancy, hormonal changes in a woman's body may trigger symptoms of
depression. During pregnancy, the amount of two female hormones, estrogen, and
progesterone, in a woman's body increases greatly. In the first 24 hours after childbirth, the
amount of these hormones rapidly drops back down to their normal non-pregnant levels.
Researchers think the fast change in hormone levels may lead to depression, just as smaller
changes in hormones can affect a woman's moods before she gets her menstrual period.
Other factors that may contribute to postpartum depression include:
Feeling tired after delivery, broken sleep patterns, and not enough rest often keeps a new
mother from regaining her full strength for weeks.
Feeling overwhelmed with a new, or another, baby to take care of and doubting your ability
to be a good mother.
(http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=151667&page=2).

3. Postpartum Depression
• Additionally, if left untreated, postpartum depression can interfere with
mother-child bonding and cause family problems.
For Mothers: Untreated postpartum depression can last for months or
longer, sometimes becoming a chronic depressive disorder. Even when
treated, postpartum depression increases a woman's risk of future episodes
of major depression.
For Fathers. Postpartum depression can have a ripple effect, causing
emotional strain for everyone close to a new baby. When a new mother is
depressed, the risk of depression in the baby's father may also increase. And
new dads are already at increased risk of depression, whether or not their
partner is affected.
For Children. Children of mothers who have untreated postpartum
depression are more likely to have emotional and behavioral problems,
such as sleeping and eating difficulties, excessive crying, and attention-
deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Delays in language development are
more common as well.

4. Conclusion
• There are two main treatments for postpartum depression:
medication and therapy. Either one can be used alone, but they may
be more effective when used together. It’s also important to make
some healthy choices in your daily routine. Antidepressants have a
direct effect on the brain. They alter the chemicals that regulate
mood. They won’t work right away, though. It can take several
weeks of taking the medication before you notice a difference in
your mood. With Therapy, A psychiatrist, psychologist, or another
mental health professional can provide counseling. Therapy can
help you make sense of destructive thoughts and offer strategies for
working through them.
According to the nonprofit Postpartum Progress, only about 15
percent of women with postpartum depression get professional
help. In addition, these figures represent only women who had live
births. (http://postpartumprogress.org/the-facts-about-
postpartum-depression/).