What Every Woman Should Know About Postpartum Depression

Whether or not a woman plans on having a child or not, it’s important to understand what postpartum depression is and how it works. It can affect many women, including yourself and the women you care about. There is a lot of misinformation surrounding postpartum, which is why it’s imperative to know the facts from myth to better help the women who are affected by it.

What is Postpartum Depression?

Not to be confused with “mommy blues”, which can last two to three days, postpartum depression affects women who have just gone through childbirth and are experiencing an emotional emptiness longer than two weeks. This kind of depression can make it harder for mothers to care for their children and not feel connected to them. It should not be taken lightly and is a very serious mental illness that involves the brain, affects your behavior, and physical health. Whether mild or severe, postpartum depression affects one in nine new mothers.

The Causes of Postpartum Depression

The biggest trigger for postpartum may be hormonal changes. Levels of the female hormones estrogen and progesterone are the highest when a woman is pregnant. These hormone levels drop significantly back to normal within the first 24 hours of giving birth, which can lead to depression. Women who have a history of depression are also at risk for postpartum.

Symptoms to Be Aware Of 

There are many symptoms a woman can display that are signs of postpartum depression. Although symptoms vary from one woman to another, common symptoms are sadness, loss of hope, despair, frequent crying, feeling unable to care for the baby, loss of ability to do basic chores, inability to bond with the baby, loss of memory, and trouble focusing. When a woman is showing the symptoms of postpartum, only a doctor is able to give a diagnosis.

Treatment Options

When diagnosed with postpartum depression, there are two main treatment options available. The first is taking medication to cope with postpartum. Antidepressants directly affect the brain by altering the chemicals that regulate mood. A doctor may also suggest hormone therapy to help regulate estrogen levels. The second treatment option is going to a psychiatrist, psychologist, or mental health professional for counseling. This option helps women suffering from postpartum depression make sense of toxic thoughts and give them the strategies they need to cope.

Common Causes of Menstrual Irregularities

No two menstrual cycles are alike. Every woman’s body is different, therefore every woman will experience their own different cycle. Although women often share similar period symptoms, each cycle is unique. However, sometimes a cycle can be so different that it can be irregular. There are many causes for menstrual irregularities every woman should be made aware of:

Pregnancy

The most common cause of menstrual irregularities is pregnancy. Pregnancy puts a woman’s period to a halt for nine months after conception. There may be a bit of light spotting, but this is a common sign a woman may be pregnant. Other symptoms are nausea, breast soreness, and fatigue.

Birth Control

Another way to cause menstrual irregularities is by taking birth control. Hormonal birth control pills and hormone-containing intrauterine devices (IUDs) can cause irregular bleeding during a woman’s cycle. An IUD can also cause very heavy bleeding.

Perimenopause

As a woman get older, her body begins to go through major changes. When her period stops due to her age, this is called menopause. The time between their period coming to a stop and entering menopause is called perimenopause. This can cause them to have a very irregular period, sometimes going months without bleeding. Women can also experience hot flashes, mood changes, difficulty sleeping, and vaginal dryness.

Being Overweight

It’s important for men and women to stay healthy. Being overweight can cause many health issues. For women, it can lead to menstrual irregularities. When a woman is overweight, their obesity impacts hormone and insulin levels and interferes with your menstrual cycle.

Eating Disorders and Extreme Weightloss

It’s important for your body to find a healthy balance. Obesity isn’t the only weight issue that can lead to an unhealthy menstrual cycle. If a woman has an eating disorder or is experiencing extreme and rapid weight loss, it can interfere with their body producing the hormones needed for ovulation.

Stress

Mental health can have a major impact on the body. For women, stress can be a major factor when dealing with menstrual irregularities. Research has found that stress can interfere with a woman’s menstrual cycle by temporarily obstructing the part of the brain in charge of controlling the hormones responsible for regulating your cycle.

The Healthcare Crisis of Rural America

If you live in a metropolitan area, the chances of finding a doctor are high. There are many specialists and general practitioners at your fingertips with a single search.  However, in rural parts of the U.S., residents are hard-pressed to find a family doctor, yet alone a pediatrician or an obstetrician.

Access to healthcare is fundamental to the health of a community, but residents of rural areas face challenges that block their ability to receive adequate care. Some of these challenges include the cost of health care, lack of transportation, communication barriers, social stigma, privacy concerns, shortage of healthcare workers and/or a complete lack of healthcare facilities.

Healthcare and Transportation Costs

Statistically, citizens in rural areas are less likely to have health insurance than those in metropolitan areas. Without insurance, people living in rural areas have increased difficulty paying for adequate healthcare. In 2016, a report from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, found that 43.4% of rural residents without insurance did not have a physician for regular health care.

Furthermore, the cost of transportation to healthcare facilities can also be a deterrent since many rural areas lack specialists and hospitals. Unlike more densely populated areas, rural communities rarely have cost effective public transportation. Therefore, residents must take time away from work and spend extra money on gas to keep an appointment.

Communication Barriers and Health Literacy

A patient’s understanding of healthcare information or a doctor’s recommendation and diagnoses is referred to as their health literacy. Yet, poverty and low educational levels hinder some residents’ ability to grasp information given to them by their doctors. Such a communication barrier can often cause animosity toward physicians due to frustration from a patient.  This may increase the chance that this patient will avoid seeking healthcare in the future.

Social Stigmas and Privacy Concerns

Small communities can rarely keep secrets. Everyone knows each other and their business. This can become especially concerning for rural residents who fear that their private health information may become public knowledge. Those seeking care for their sexual health, mental health, pregnancy, or substance abuse may have an increased fear due to community stigmas.

Lack of Healthcare Facilities and Workers

A November 2018 report by the Bureau of Health Workforce Health Resources and Services Administration found that over 59% of the areas that lacked primary healthcare were rural areas. Such areas are not popular career destinations for healthcare professionals and even residents of rural areas who are trained in the health field often relocate to more populated areas. Many states are thinking out of the box when it comes to attracting and retaining health professionals. Some communities in Vermont, the most rural state in the country, are offering assistance repaying student loans to attract more doctors and healthcare workers. Other states such as

However, even if rural areas manage to attract doctors and healthcare workers, health professionals still face challenges when it comes to medical supply shortages and a lack of proper health facilities. If the closest hospital is 50 miles away, rural residents must often need to travel a great distance to see a specialist – potentially putting their lives in danger.

As an OBGYN, the lack of healthcare in rural communities is especially concerning.  Thousands of women do not have access to proper treatment or care during pregnancy. In 2017, the the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists found that half of the country’s counties do not have an obstetrician-gynecologist. Furthermore, by 2020, “there will be up to 8,000 fewer OB-GYNs than needed.”  This is a problem that is worsening for America.

Although the cost of health insurance and medical procedures are complaints that are widely heard, the fact that Thousands of Americans face life without adequate healthcare is barely a whisper. Many doctors are adding small communities to their workload.  Yet the lack of healthcare facilities, and the cost of treatment makes their jobs and the care they can provide a lot more difficult.