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Reproductive Psychiatry

Pregnancy hormones or something else?

September 15, 2018 by Claire Brandon

A pregnant woman standing in silhouette in front of a window, symbolically asking herself 'Is this just pregnancy hormones?'

Is this just pregnancy hormones? Or is it something else?

Pregnancy is a difficult time, regardless of your support network, prior mental health, or how the pregnancy is going. Unfortunately, it’s not always like it is in the movies where you’re happy and glowing every day.

Sometimes, patients will experience depression for the first time (about 5-10%) or a recurrence of depression during pregnancy (20-25%). Signs that it is more than “just hormones” would be that you’re not excited to plan for the baby, you’ve become withdrawn, you aren’t doing things you used to enjoy doing. In this case, it may be really beneficial to seek mental health treatment.

Sometimes, this means medications and or psychotherapy because depression can have a significant impact on a developing fetus. There is an entire sub-specialization in psychiatry for this, so though it is tough, don’t feel alone.

Seek out an evaluation to better understand what you’re dealing with. 

Filed Under: Anxiety, Psychiatry, Reproductive Psychiatry, Wellness

Personalized NYC Mental Health · Dr. Claire Brandon

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