Antidepressants, Pregnancy & Postpartum:
Breaking The Silence Around Mental Health
🦋 Preventable Problems
May is Mental Health Awareness Month! Growing a baby changes more than just your body. Pregnancy and postpartum can take your emotions on a wild ride too, which is why caring for your mental health matters just as much as caring for your physical health. It’s natural to have a bit of or baby blues or worries, after all, you are bringing a whole little human into this world, and the sense of responsibility, protection, and nurturing grows stronger every day. However it is vital to not overlook any stronger feelings that may be present. Just like physical issues like back pain, something can be “common”, but it doesn’t mean it is “normal”.
Before we get into the more positive side of things, I want to highlight an unfortunate fact on Illinois mothers that I learned from a wonderful and caring midwife & obstetric nurse practitioner, Dr. Dina, who is very passionate about maternal mental health.
Mental health conditions, often linked with substance use, are the leading cause of preventable pregnancy-related deaths in Illinois (1). Pregnancy-related death is defined as that of a woman while pregnant or within one year of pregnancy from a cause related to pregnancy (3). Much like in past years, substance use disorder continued to play a major role in pregnancy-related maternal deaths, affecting many families and communities. Blood clots, COVID-19, and postpartum bleeding also remained important concerns as well (2).
Over 1 in 4 women in the state report depressive symptoms after pregnancy, and rates of maternal anxiety and depression diagnoses are actively rising. This report found that 91% of all pregnancy-related deaths were potentially preventable, including all those resulting from mental health conditions or substance use disorders (2). This isn’t just a statistic, but a grieving family, missing relationships and broken hearts.
While uncomfortable, the reality is that we need to look out for each other as depression and mental health is treatable and there is SO much we can do to look out for each other. That being said, you may have some questions about what we can do…
🦋 Are antidepressants safe during pregnancy?
Yes! Maternal use of an antidepressant (with the exception of 2 TCAs) were not associated with ADHD, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), or any other neurodevelopmental outcomes, according to this extensive study (1). This meta-analysis compared 640,000 pregnancies involving antidepressant exposure to nearly 25 million non exposed. SSRI's and SNRI's are not associated with an increased risk of autism, ADHD, speech delay or other gross motor or developmental delays in kids, rather pointing to genetics. They compared moms who were treated with antidepressants during pregnancy to moms with depression who never got treatment, moms who only got treated before pregnancy, and dad's treated during the pregnancy (since this has no effect on fetal development). Outcomes show that genetics seem to be an underlying cause for developmental disorders. A caveat is that Nortriptyline and Amitriptyline, 2 types of TCAs, which had a slight ADHD risk. Regarding dosage, there was no difference in risk (1). While this study is insightful, always ask your doctor about your medications and safety during pregnancy for your specific situation.
There are 2 conclusions we can draw from this article:
Untreated parental depression can have bad outcomes on kids. While there is no increased risk of delays in kids, untreated parental illness can cause gaps in the parent-child relationship and adverse childhood events. There are many ways to be a present and mentally well parent. Regarding taking care of our mind, we can use aromatherapy, staying socially connected but avoiding doomscrolling, creating your support networks (family, new moms groups, etc.) and practicing mindfulness, journaling, or meditation. The things we physically put in our bodies matters too! Eating a balanced whole foods diet and reducing alcohol/processed foods can physically change our state of being and help with depression. Even a very light workout releases endorphins or “feel good” hormones.
Regarding underlying causes of delays, Dr. Guyenet stated "Genetics loads the gun, and environment pulls the trigger." While your genes may set the foundation, it's your environment and life experiences that may determine whether those tendencies actually develop. In other words, a person may inherit a vulnerability to depression, addiction, or illness, yet experiences such as stress, trauma, relationships, lifestyle, and upbringing can “trigger” those genes into expression. Both nature and nurture, and our everyday decisions, shape who we become.
🦋 Natural solutions: can diet really help that much?
Some studies show that increasing fish oil supplementation can drastically reduce postpartum depression without changing anything else. This makes sense biologically because it gets used to build all sorts of tissues, from baby’s brain and eye tissue to every single living cell membrane in our body. However, these fatty acids like EPA and DHA are “essential fatty acids”, meaning they cannot be synthesized by the body and we need them from our diets. Fast depletion of this amazing molecule during pregnancy and lactation can happen, leading to PPD (4).
Vitamin D and daily sunlight can reduce depression for moms and dads as well. Vitamin D receptors are found in areas tied to mood and depression in various parts of the brain, and the active form of vitamin D can actually cross our blood-brain-barrier to play a more direct role on mental health and brain function. The active form of can also work like a messenger in the body, attaching to vitamin D receptors found on many different cells, which can either turn certain genes on or off or trigger quick cell responses that help regulate things like mood, immune function, and overall health (5). This is another example of environment “pulling the trigger” as mentioned earlier. Sunshine is important because our body uses 15-20 mins of daily UV ray exposure to actually synthesize it! That is why some people notice seasonal depression as Autumn rolls around and we put on warm layers and stay inside more. In the USA, 35% of the population is deficient, and worldwide 50% are insufficient (6). Ask your doctor how to get tested for deficiency and how to safely supplement as it is possible to also over-supplement and have negative side effects.
Feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, or just not like yourself since baby arrived?
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You are not alone.
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Feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, or just not like yourself since baby arrived? 〰️ You are not alone. 〰️
🦋 Postpartum depression
Symptoms usually appear gradually over about three months, though they can sometimes start suddenly. Postpartum depression can make it difficult for a mother to care for herself and her baby (7). 1 in 5 new moms get PPD, with potential to be more common due to underreporting. Sudden PPD or depression can come from hormones or other body systems (i.e. thyroid dysfunction). While you are going through many changes as a mom, there is no need to tolerate negative symptoms. Check out this guide to understanding the signs and finding resources for help.
The human body + mind + spirit is a very resilient, capable, and amazing thing. Even after getting my Bachelor of Biological Sciences degree, followed by a Doctorate degree in Chiropractic Medicine, a field focusing all about human physiology, I am still learning so much about it every day and will continue to learn for an entire career. There are so many factors you may simply not think about or know about. So please, do not feel ashamed to ask for help, however mild the symptoms. Of course motherhood can be stressful! It doesn’t mean you need to tough out the hard feelings or that you don’t love being a mom. There is no need to struggle when there may be solutions hiding around the corner.
References
Chan JKN, Zhong AHF, Lam JYH, Wong CSM, Solmi M, Correll CU, Chang WC. Maternal and paternal antidepressant use before and during pregnancy and offspring risk of neurodevelopmental disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Psychiatry. 2026 Jun;13(6):472-484. doi: 10.1016/S2215-0366(26)00089-1. PMID: 42134364.
Dougherty, Maggie. “Illinois Maternal Mortality Report Finds Rise in Pregnancy-Related Deaths.” Capitol News Illinois, 31 Dec. 2025, Capitol News Illinois. https://capitolnewsillinois.com/news/illinois-maternal-mortality-report-finds-rise-in-pregnancy-related-deaths/ Accessed 19 May 2026.
Illinois Department of Public Health. Illinois Maternal Morbidity and Mortality Report. Illinois Department of Public Health, 2021, [https://dph.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/idph/files/maternal-mortality-in-illinois.pdf](https://dph.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/idph/files/maternal-mortality-in-illinois.pdf). Accessed 19 May 2026.
Hsu MC, Tung CY, Chen HE. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation in prevention and treatment of maternal depression: Putative mechanism and recommendation. J Affect Disord. 2018 Oct 1;238:47-61. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2018.05.018. Epub 2018 May 16. PMID: 29860183.
Akpınar Ş, Karadağ MG. Is Vitamin D Important in Anxiety or Depression? What Is the Truth? Curr Nutr Rep. 2022 Dec;11(4):675-681. doi: 10.1007/s13668-022-00441-0. Epub 2022 Sep 13. PMID: 36097104; PMCID: PMC9468237.
“Vitamin D Deficiency.” Cleveland Clinic, reviewed 2 Aug. 2022. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15050-vitamin-d-vitamin-d-deficiency. Accessed 19 May 2026.
Merck Manual Professional Version. “Postpartum Depression.” Merck Manual, https://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/gynecology-and-obstetrics/postpartum-care-and-associated-disorders/postpartum-depression. Accessed 19 May 2026.
