postpartum depression is linked to chemical social and psychological changes associated with having a baby. the term describes a range of physical and emotional changes that many new mothers experience. the good news is postpartum depression can be treated with medication and counseling. the chemical changes involve a rapid drop in hormones after delivery. the actual link between this drop and depression is still not clear. but what is known is that the levels of estrogen and progesterone the female reproductive hormones increase tenfold during pregnancy. then they drop sharply after delivery. by three days after a woman gives birth the levels of these hormones drop back to what they were before she got pregnant. in addition to these chemical changes social and psychological changes associated with having a baby create an increased risk of depression.
what causes postpartum depression?