The Superpower
Pregnancy might just be the closest thing to a superpower that women around the world can ascribe to. Did you know that almost all pregnant women function at a rate of metabolism that is around 1.9–2.5 times higher than their normal, pre-pregnancy metabolic rate? This is no meagre feat. It means that pregnant women burn up twice the energy that regular humans do. This rate is only achieved by highly trained athletes and soldiers, and that too at peak performance. This implies that women are functioning at the peak capacity of the human body for a duration that is quite simply remarkable (even more so given that they go through their regular lives and work without missing a beat). This is kept up for 6 months at the very least, during the second and third trimesters.
This is an ample illustration for the point that pregnancy is a very testing time for women. Of course, some fare better than others, but there’s a high possibility for hormonal imbalances, emotional outbursts, mood swings and even the occasional bout of depression to set in. These are not to be dealt with in an off-hand manner- as simple tantrums- in light of what women go through during their pregnancies.
It’s Not Just You
According to studies conducted by Gynaecologist associations around the world, between 10% and 25% of women suffer from depression during pregnancy. The proportion is far higher for women who have experienced depression or other related psychiatric and mood disorders before the onset of pregnancy.
But on the other hand, taking antidepressants as the one-shot solution for all such issues does not do well for the baby. Taking medication that interacts with hormones is at best a risky bet during pregnancy. The level of depression during pregnancy determines the appropriate medication to be taken. It would be short-sighted of mothers to just pop in powerful pills whenever they experience the slightest of discomforts. It would be equally pointless to just suffer through it in quiet desperation “for the sake of the baby” because the health of the baby is directly related to the overall health of the mother - both mental and physical. Self-medication is the worst possible idea. It is extremely important to talk to a gynaecologist and a psychiatric specialist in order to chart appropriate treatment methods for battling depression during pregnancy.
There’s no dearth of research focusing on antidepressants. But due to regulations, most of the studies conducted were on women who were already taking medication. Hence, the data is limited and the results are not always reliable. But one of the conclusive results is encouraging as it busts a common fear — that antidepressants may increase the chances of birth defects in babies. Fortunately, it was found that antidepressants do not lead to an increase in birth defects above the baseline risk.
Be that as it may, extra caution is always required from the part of moms-to-be because they have to weigh two lives instead of one. Mental health is also a result of lifestyle choices. With pregnancy being a herculean task, it would be wise on the part of both expecting parents to provide proper nutrition and a conducive atmosphere for the mother.
