Prenatal depression vs. normal depression: what’s the difference?

The main reason why clinicians distinguish between perinatal and regular depression is that pregnancy represents an extraordinary circumstance in a person’s life. Additionally, several characteristics make prenatal depression distinct from other depressive disorders:

• Prenatal depression only occurs during pregnancy – As the name suggests, prenatal depression can only occur in women who are carrying a child. This is a critical distinction to make both epidemiologically and for the sake of health outcomes, as it informs modalities for managing and recovering from depressive symptoms.
• Prenatal depression can affect the child, too – As research on maternal depressive disorders develops, more evidence shows that these conditions may have short- and long-term effects on babies in-utero. In fact, prenatal depression may increase:
  • Likelihood of premature birth
  • Likelihood of lower-than-average birth weight
  • Future child’s risk of mood disorders

8 Signs of Prenatal Depression

If left untreated, prenatal depression can have major adverse impacts on both maternal and infant health. Fortunately, one 2015 systemic review on prenatal depression found that most women diagnosed with the condition can recover with treatment and therapies like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).

If you’ve been struggling with any of the following symptoms in your pregnancy, remember, there are ways to find support and “containers” for those feelings—no matter how big or overwhelming they may feel.

#1 Persistent Feelings of Sadness

Feelings of “bottomless” sadness, devastation, or emptiness are hallmarks of prenatal depression and related depressive disorders. Due to hormones, this can feel particularly difficult to handle in pregnancy; many people with prenatal depression also cry frequently or suddenly, or experience extreme mood swings.

#2 Accompanying Anxiety

For many pregnant women, anxiety symptoms and anxious thoughts tend to dwell on circumstances specific to pregnancy and parenthood, such as:

• Worrying about their ability to be a parent to their child
• Worrying about health pathologies in their child
• Worrying about their ability to be a partner to their significant other
• Ruminating about previous pregnancies or birth complications
• Worrying or stressing out about their ability to juggle multiple responsibilities (e.g., executing at a high-pressure job and being a new mom)

#3 Difficulty Finding Joy or Satisfaction in Once Pleasurable Activities

While pregnancy fatigue can certainly put a damper on hobbies and pastimes you used to enjoy, you should still be able to see the meaning of partaking in activities that make you happy.

Prenatal depression can not only remove the wherewithal you have to partake in these activities, but also blot the happiness you used to derive from them.

#4 Socially Isolating Yourself

Withdrawing from people and places that make you feel connected can be another major sign of prenatal depression.

Conversely, the onset of prenatal depression may also be brought on by feelings of social estrangement or a lack of a consistent support network. Circumstances like an unconventional family structure, fraught relationships with a partner, or even remote working environments may augment feelings of loneliness in many women.

#5 Changes to Energy Levels, Appetite, or Sleep Habits

Like other forms of depression, prenatal depression can adversely impact some key markers of basic human health:

• Appetite – A decline in appetite—and, occasionally, overeating—can be a feature of prenatal depression. If you don’t figure out what to eat while pregnant, a low or markedly high appetite can put a strain on the normal development patterns of babies in utero.
• Energy levels – Fatigue is a normal part of pregnancy, but it tends to be most pronounced in the first and third trimesters. Prenatal depression can cause an enduring decline in energy levels throughout pregnancy.
• Sleep – In a similar vein, many women with prenatal depression struggle with balancing their sleep habits; this may amount to sleeping too much or too little.

#6 Difficulty with Focus or Completing Tasks

Like other forms of depression, prenatal depression can majorly impact cognitive function. This could look like:

• Inability to focus
• Inability to make decisions
• Difficulty with memory and recall
• Brain fog

#7 Difficulty Finding Meaning or Worth in Life

At times, having trouble staying motivated can compound into feelings or attitudes about the “pointlessness” of life. Not only can this aggravate a depressed mood, but there’s also the danger of discouraging motivation to follow a prenatal care plan. This can put your growing baby at higher risk of things like nutritional deficiencies, premature birth, or low birth weight.

#8 Physical Discomfort

In some cases, prenatal depression can be accompanied by physically painful or uncomfortable symptoms. These commonly include:

• Digestive distress or disturbances
• Headaches

One effective way to alleviate these symptoms and promote overall wellness during pregancy is through benefits of prenatal massage.

What causes prenatal depression?

Depression in pregnancy—whether prenatal, postpartum, or perinatal—can arise in anyone: if you’re struggling with these feelings, know that you have done nothing wrong.

Moreover, because there’s no single “cause” of the disorder, experts suspect a multitude of factors may play a role. Activating factors could include:

• Chronic stress
• Difficulty in family dynamics or relationships with partners
• Family history of mental health or mood disorders
• Pregnancy hormones
• Genetics

Can you take medicine for prenatal depression?

In severe cases, yes, pharmaceuticals may be recommended for prenatal depression treatment. The most commonly prescribed drugs are SSRIs, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, such as:

• Zoloft
• Celexa

Some evidence suggests it may be risky to take antidepressant medication while pregnant due to a higher probability of pregnancy loss, premature birth, low birth weight, or even birth defects. In some cases, newborns may experience withdrawal symptoms if you’ve taken SSRIs in your final trimester, which can cause difficulty when nursing.

What to Do If You Think You Have Prenatal Depression

Many women feel guilt over depression and emotional turbulence during pregnancy, which prevents many people from reporting their struggles at all. But you have nothing to be ashamed about—and if you’ve been struggling with a persistently low mood, it’s important to reach out to your care provider so that they can help. Maintaining the same direct line of communication when wondering what happens at your first prenatal appointment is key.

In addition to discussing your unique symptoms and treatment plan with your doctor, a few other resources may help provide relief and support as you navigate this difficult time. Consider:

• Finding community – It’s seldom discussed, but being pregnant can feel incredibly isolating—particularly if you’re the only person in your network going through it. Tapping into a network of fellow pregnant women can help you build bonds with people who may be going through the same experiences and feelings you are. (Psst! Psychology Today’s Support Group Resource is an excellent place to find groups in your city.)
• Talking to someone in confidence – When you’re pregnant, you may feel like you—and, at a certain stage, your belly—are constantly on display. For this reason, it can be difficult to achieve the degree of privacy you enjoyed before the big development.

For many women, therapy or counseling can help restore the sense of privacy and independence they may have lost after starting their pregnancy journey. Most importantly, it’s an excellent forum for externalizing and processing any distressing thoughts and emotions you may be battling.

• Focusing on the basics – Depression can make it difficult to stay motivated, no matter what sorts of personal or parental ambitions you had before its onset. For this reason, it can help to take things one day at a time, setting incremental “micro” goals that help cover your and your baby’s most basic, essential needs.

Getting enough sleep, taking your daily prenatal vitamin, and setting aside time to breathe fresh air or feel the sun on your skin are all incredible achievements—it’s those depressive thoughts that are a distortion. No matter how incremental these acts feel in the moment, each triumph is a remarkable act of service that future you, and future baby, will thank you for.

SneakPeek: A Trusted Resource in Your Pregnancy Journey

Despite how pregnancy is often represented online, the journey is not all Netflix, nursery designs, and Nutella sandwiches. Sometimes, the most incredible transformations in our lives come along with emotional upheaval—but it is possible to recover with proper treatment and compassion for yourself.

Whatever your parenthood journey looks like, think of SneakPeek Test as your trusted companion for all things pregnancy. With our DNA-based, gender blood test, you can learn your baby’s sex as early as 6 weeks into your pregnancy with over 99% clinically proven accuracy¹. All SneakPeek tests are data-protected and processed by labs on the same day we receive your kit. Your sample will be reviewed by board-certified physicians, and we’ll even send you a downloadable report you can share with your doctor along with your results.

Trusted by 1 million moms, SneakPeek is OBGYN’s #1 recommended at-home early gender test on the market. Discover our entire prenatal testing range by visiting our online shop today.