Your brain literally changes during pregnancy – Here’s how it may affect your mental health
New research exposes the hidden brain shift behind postpartum depression
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A new study has found a connection between brain changes during pregnancy and postpartum depression. Published in Science Advances, the study examined how structural changes in two key brain regions—the amygdala and the hippocampus—correlate with postpartum depression symptoms. Researchers observed that women who developed moderate to severe postpartum depression exhibited an increase in the volume of these brain areas, which play a critical role in regulating emotions and stress responses.
Tracking Brain Changes During Pregnancy
The research team studied 88 first-time pregnant women with no history of depression and compared them to a group of 30 non-pregnant women. They scanned the participants' brains during their third trimester and again about a month after childbirth.
The results showed that women who developed postpartum depression had an increase in the size of their amygdala, the part of the brain that helps process emotions and stress. Additionally, women who found childbirth stressful had a larger hippocampus, a brain region involved in memory and emotional control.
"It’s possible that women whose amygdala changes more easily are at higher risk of postpartum depression," says Susana Carmona, a neuroscientist at the Gregorio Marañón Health Research Institute in Madrid and the study’s lead author. "But it could also be that the depression itself causes the amygdala to grow."
The Effect of Childbirth Experience
The study also revealed that a woman's perception of her childbirth experience influences changes in her brain. Even if the delivery was medically smooth, women who found it stressful or had a negative experience showed greater changes in their brain structure.
“A negative birth experience has been associated with increases in depression scores,” Carmona added, emphasizing the need for improved maternal care and emotional support during childbirth.
With postpartum depression often going undiagnosed due to stigma and reluctance to seek help, these findings underline the importance of early detection and intervention.
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