New postpartum depression research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine and Weill Cornell Medicine could lead to a blood test to identify women at risk and possibly even to a preventive treatment.
The research suggests that pregnant women may have characteristic levels of certain molecules in their blood that can warn that they are at risk of developing postpartum depression (PPD). These molecules, called neuroactive steroids, are derived from progesterone, a hormone that plays critical roles in pregnancy and menstruation.
Measuring those molecules via a simple blood test could let doctors get women treatment for PPD sooner – possibly even before symptoms appear, the researchers say.
Studying postpartum depression gives us a way to identify biological changes that occur before…