Depression in moms-to-be linked to premature births

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Being depressed during pregnancy might be bad for the baby, a study of California patients suggests.Expectant mothers with symptoms of severe depression are more than twice as likely to give birth prematurely as those with no signs of depression, according to the study, published today in the journal Human Reproduction.Premature births, even just a few weeks short of full term, can leave a baby at greater risk of infection, jaundice and longer hospitalizations.Doctors don't know whether depression itself causes early births, or whether some underlying problem might cause depression and prematurity.The new study, from Kaiser Permanente's division of research in Oakland, Calif., was based on surveys of hundreds of women during the early weeks of their pregnancies. Depressive symptoms were measured by a commonly used questionnaire, and nearly half the women had either significant or severe symptoms.Either way, they say, women need to be aware that depression in pregnancy is common, might affect the baby -- and can be treated."Having a healthy mood is an essential part of having a healthy pregnancy," said Priya Batra, a Sacramento Kaiser psychologist who specializes in women's health. "We want people to know that this is part of what the medical system can offer you."That's an especially important message, because sometimes it can seem like the whole world expects pregnant women to be thrilled."That cultural myth, that you should be happy, you should be glowing, that adds to the stigma of being down," Batra said.Desirae Tobey, of Sacramento, whose son Chase was born healthy and full term in June, knows firsthand that sometimes pregnancy can be emotionally harrowing."I was having anxiety attacks at work," she said.Meanwhile, she was battling morning sickness, exhaustion and a constant fear that "something bad is going to happen to my baby" because miscarriages run in her family.Her first obstetrician didn't help, Tobey said."I almost had to fight for the health of my baby," Tobey said. "The OB-GYN I got the second time was fantastic. She listened to my fears, however irrational they were."Tobey was treated for depression when she was a teenager, but she didn't want to take medication during pregnancy. She got counseling, working with Batra to talk through the terrors -- and getting confirmation she wasn't alone.Nine percent of the women with the worst symptoms had premature babies, compared with 4 percent of the women with no symptoms. Just under 6 percent of those who fell in between gave birth early.A questionnaire isn't as precise as a doctor's diagnosis, but high rates of unhappiness found by the survey suggest pregnancy blues are under-diagnosed, according to Dr. De-Kun Li, the study's lead author.Li's study excluded women with the earliest -- and most dangerous -- premature births, because those often have known medical causes. The women he included had either full-term babies or later-term premature births, more than 33 weeks but less than 37. After that, a pregnancy is considered full-term.(E-mail Carrie Peyton Dahlberg at cpeytondahlberg(at)sacbee.com)(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)