A blood test that can tell if a pregnant woman is at risk of post-natal depression is being developed. Gwyneth Paltrow has spoken of her battle with the condition
A simple blood test could soon tell whether a pregnant woman is at risk of post- natal depression.
The test, which spots two genes in DNA that may signal the onset of the condition, has proved at least 85 per cent accurate in early trials carried out by psychiatrists.
Experts hope a kit could be available within two years to provide early warnings of the debilitating sadness, irritability, loss of appetite and feelings of worthlessness that hit almost one in five new mothers within weeks of giving birth.
They could then be given treatments to reduce the severity of the condition or even prevent it developing at all, the researchers hope.
Post-natal – or post-partum – depression can last more than a year in some cases and the children of some sufferers can be at higher risk of mental illness and other problems.
In the most extreme cases, women have killed themselves or their children.
‘Post-partum depression can be harmful to both mother and child,’ said researcher Dr Zachary Kaminsky, who led the study at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
‘But we don’t have a reliable way to screen for the condition before it causes harm. A test like this could be that way.’
His team pinpointed two genes which, when present in certain forms in pregnancy, seem to foretell the onset of depression.
Blood tests on 52 mothers-to-be predicted the onset of post-natal depression with 85 per cent accuracy.
Factoring in other information from the blood test increased the accuracy to 96 per cent in a small group of women, according to research published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.
So far, the test has been at least 85 per cent accurate in spotting mothers-to-be who will develop the debilitating condition
Dr Kaminsky added: ‘With more research this could prove to be a powerful new tool.’
Women who have the two genes are thought to be particularly susceptible to the effects of pregnancy hormones on the brain, which could leave them more vulnerable to stress and less able to adapt to the demands of motherhood.
Those who took the test had all had depression or bipolar disorder and so were at higher risk of post-natal depression than average.
However, Dr Kaminsky believes the blood test will also be of value to the wider population.
Women could be tested early in their pregnancy and those deemed to be at high risk offered more practical support or stress management, he said.
Post-natal depression affects almost one in five new mothers and it is most common in women who have a history of depression
Alerting expectant mothers to the risks could also help them spot signs earlier and seek treatment sooner. Some could also be prescribed anti-depressant drugs during pregnancy.
Dr Kaminsky said: ‘If you knew you were likely to develop post-partum depression, your decisions about managing your care could be made more clearly.’
Post-natal depression is more common in women with a history of depression and those who are lacking support or whose baby needs extra care.
It is also more likely to strike those expecting boys – perhaps because male babies are perceived as being ‘more difficult’.
Like ordinary depression, it is treated through a combination of counselling and drugs.
Celebrities who have described their battle with the condition include Fern Britton and Oscar winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow. Miss Paltrow, 40, described the time after the birth of her son Moses in 2006 as ‘one of the darkest and most painfully debilitating’ times of her life.
Carmine Pariante, of the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, said the blood tests were a ‘valuable’ development.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2328370/A-womans-risk-post-natal-depression-identified-simple-blood-test-pregnancy.html#ixzz2U8heHtW5
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