Diabetes: Diabetes Linked to Postpartum Depression

A recent Harvard Medical School study found that mothers with diabetes are more than 50% more likely to experience postpartum depression than mothers who do not have the disease. The study, which examined more than 11,000 low-income mothers in New Jersey, revealed that one in ten mothers with diabetes experienced postpartum depression within one year of childbirth. Less than 6% of the women without diabetes experienced the same symptoms.

The women who developed postpartum depression following birth had no previous indication of depression during pregnancy. They were identified as having postpartum depression if their medical records indicated a diagnosis of depression or if they filled prescriptions for antidepressant medications. The study found that women with diabetes were about as likely to develop postpartum depression after their pregnancies as women who had experienced postpartum depression following a previous birth.