Medical Malpractice Lawyers

Recent Study Backs Up What Cleveland Birth Injury Attorneys Caution About Postpartum Depression

It’s an injury often overlooked, and while it may not necessarily be a case for a birth injury attorney in Cleveland, it’s a serious issue nonetheless. Depression. Nearly one in seven women during pregnancy suffer from it. That’s more than a half million women in the US alone. And the mother is not the only one who suffers. Depression can also have profound impacts on infant development, according to newly released research.

Lower rates of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a biomarker, have been  associated with depression. Now researchers have found BDNF levels can vary considerably during pregnancy.

“Our research shows BDNF levels change considerably across pregnancy and provide predictive value for depressive symptoms in women, as well as poor fetal growth. It’s notable that we observed a significant difference in BDNF in women of different races,” states Lisa M. Christian, an associate professor of psychiatry in the Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research at Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center and principal investigator of the study.

Lower BDNF levels at both the second and third trimesters predicted greater depressive symptoms in the third trimester.

“The good news is there are some good ways to address the issue,” Christian offered. “Antidepressant medications have been shown to increase BDNF levels. This may be appropriate for some pregnant women, but is not without potential risks and side effects. Luckily, another very effective way to increase BDNF levels is through exercise. With approval from your physician, staying physically active during pregnancy can help maintain BDNF levels, which has benefits for a woman’s mood, as well as for her baby’s development.”

And that’s good news for mothers as well as the clients of a birth injury attorney in Cleveland.