According to information from a new study, pregnant women with depression may see an ebb in their symptoms when taking exercise. The study is also showing that exercise may also help to lower their symptoms of fatigue. The results of this study were published in Psychology & Health.
The study was conducted by Anca Gaston and Harry Prapavessis at the University of Western Ontario. The team analyzed data that sought to discover whether a four-week exercise program could help to improve the psychological well-being of inactive pregnant women. What they found was that exercise caused a significant improvement in the women’s overall mood during the program. The women were also found to be less fatigued.
Women also can suffer from post-partum depression. But finding treatments for the condition that don’t include the use of harmful antidepressants like Paxil is not as easy in cases where the symptoms are severe. This type of study may help to lessen the instances of depression, both during and after pregnancy. Taking drugs during pregnancy can expose the child to numerous side effects, but depression during pregnancy carries its own risks. This is why scientists seek to develop some sort of safe intervention which could help both the mother and her child in the long term.
Depression is often treated (both during pregnancy and post-natal) with antidepressant drugs like Paxil, which could be more harmful than good. Paxil and other similar medications have been linked to increased episodes of violent and suicidal thoughts and behavior as well as birth defects in babies born to mothers who take Paxil while pregnant. Some of the birth defects linked to Paxil use include PPHN, spina bifida, neural tube defects and heart, lung and brain defects. These complications are why doctors are constantly looking for non-medicinal ways to help treat depression in women who are pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant.
