Research claims that pregnant women who are severely depressed run double the risk of having a premature baby.
The more depressed a woman is, the greater her risk of pre-term delivery, according to their study.
The researchers say the findings demonstrate the link between a woman's emotional wellbeing and the progress of her pregnancy.
The scientists interviewed almost 800 women around their tenth week of pregnancy and found that 41 per cent reported significant or severe depressive symptoms. Women who were taking antidepressants were excluded from the study, conducted by the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in California.
Compared with women who were not depressed, the mildly depressed had a 60 per cent higher chance of having a preterm delivery. Women classified as severely depressed had more than twice the risk, according to a report in the journal Human Reproduction.
Premature babies - those born before 37 weeks into the pregnancy - are more likely to spend time in special care units in hospital, and may need extra help later in life.
Lead researcher Dr De-Kun Li said that a woman's mood could potentially influence hormone production, which in turn could affect the working of the placenta. He added that while post-natal depression had been extensively studied, it was now just as important to study the condition during pregnancy.
October 2008 | 
Baby Virus Warning
