Women who suffer from depression or anxiety may be more likely to have underweight babies -- even when those babies are born at full term, after a normal-length pregnancy -- a new study shows. This study adds to a body of research that gives conflicting evidence about the role of mental health in pregnancy.
The study assessed 583 women in rural Bangladesh. (Similar studies have been carried out in the U.S. and elsewhere in the developed world. But since the contribution of social factors to depression and anxiety is unknown, it has been useful to analyze the relationship of depression and pregnancy health across many different social settings.) Of all the Bangladeshi women who participated in this study, 18% showed depressive symptoms, and 26% showed symptoms of general anxiety -- all as measured by a standardized international diagnostic test, given during the third trimester of pregnancy.
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