Postpartum depression heightened among women who fear childbirth, (Creative Commons/ Ed Yourdon)

Thanks to tremendous medical improvements in the 20th century, few women continue to regard pregnancy as a possible death sentence, but the consequences of postpartum depression (PPD) remain a serious cause for concern among many women.   

Each year, approximately 700 women die from pregnancy-related complications in the United States and between 9 and 16 percent of all women suffer from PPD after giving birth.  

While a history of depressive and bipolar disorders remains the greatest predictor of postpartum depression among new mothers, a fear of childbirth is also linked to elevated likelihood for postpartum depression according to a paper published Friday in the British Medical Journal Open.

The paper resolved that fear of childbirth tripled the risk of PPD in women without a history of depression, and quadrupled it among women with a history of depression. The study does not, however, explain whether fears of childbirth cause the depression, or whether the fears are an evolutionary defense against depression following childbirth. 

Based on a study of over 500,000 mothers in Finland, the researchers found that "as expected ... two-thirds of all cases occurred in women with a history of depressive symptoms before or during pregnancy." 

The study revealed that Caesarean births, preterm births, stillbirths and congenital anomalies in the infants also increased the mothers’ likelihood of experiencing PPD. 

While approximately 50 to 80 percent of women suffer from “baby blues” in the weeks immediately following birth, PPD can last up to a year with symptoms such as pervasive feelings of guilt, anxiety, inadequacy, disinterest towards the child, headaches and fatigue. 

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