WOMEN'S MENTAL HEALTH SERIES: Pregnancy and Mental Health
For me, motherhood had been a wonderful experience and I am sure, most women will agree with me. Despite the challenges and changes associated with pregnancy, and afterwards being a mother, I am sure I would not want it otherwise. However, although I was overjoyed on first seeing the growing baby on ultrasonography and hearing the beating heart on Doppler, I was not prepared with the changes that pregnancy can bring in one’s body and mental state. Many of these changes are normal, physiological changes associated with pregnancy, but many times these may also be symptoms of underlying mental health conditions like mood disorders and anxiety disorders. Maternal mental health is an important but often ignored aspect of pregnancy. It must be born in mind that antenatal mental health not only affects the mother but the baby as well. What do numbers say? In the developed countries, around 7-15 % pregnant women report mental disorders, whereas in the developing world, arou...