Depression Among Fathers During The Pregnancy May Cause Premature Birth Risk

It is believed that pregnant women usually suffer from depression some time within the course of their pregnancy. However, it is not only the women who suffer from this condition during pregnancy. 

Expectant and new fathers also are at a higher risk of depression compared to men in the general population. Ignoring the father's part in the psychological environment of both the mother and the fetus has a major birth effect.

A new study whose aim is to further scrutinize this line of research concludes that depression in fathers directly affects the chances of increase in the risk of premature births. This study was published in BJOG: an International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, is spearheaded by a professor from the Center for Health Equity Studies in Sweden named  Professor Anders Hjern.

Depression in pregnant women has been previously found to be closely related to low birth weight and increased risk of premature birth. Preterm birth, which is often classified as very preterm (less than 32 weeks of gestation) and moderately preterm (32-26 weeks of gestation), is known as a major cause of infant deaths in high and middle-income countries.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), this condition causes long-term health effects for those who survive this, such as learning disabilities and visual and hearing problems. It is also found to be the leading cause of mortality among children under the age of five worldwide.

In the past, a number of research showed results that led them to believe that premature births are caused by the amount of stress the expectant mother went through during pregnancy. But the results were found to be inconsistent and differ by the size of the people surveyed and the methods of stress measurement. Larger population-based studies, objective stress measures have showed more reliable connection. 

VIdeo Credit: Youtube.com/PregnancySolution