Scientists working at the University of California believe that they have found an indicator of postpartum depression and may now be able to test to find out if a woman may be prone to this condition.
They believe that the culprit is something called corticotropin-releasing hormone, which is produced naturally within a pregnant woman’s placenta.
According to the much respected journal the Archives of General Psychiatry that has published findings from the report which indicates that there are several links between corticotropin-releasing hormone and women who go on to suffer from postpartum depression.
This hormone actually controls the output of several other hormones in pregnant women.
At around 26 weeks[26 weeks pregnant], a simple test of the levels of the hormone can then be used as a good indicator that there will be a possibility of an onset of depression.
Testing the hormone levels can also help with predicting depression [signs of depression] during the mid-term of pregnancy.
The scientists tested over 100 women at several different points during their pregnancy and kept records of the hormone levels at different points.
They then compared the hormone levels of women who did and did not suffer postpartum depression leading them to a realization of a connection between the hormone and the depression condition.
