Finnish study finds severe morning sickness linked to higher risk of depression

ISTANBUL

A study by Finland's University of Turku has found that severe morning sickness during pregnancy is linked to a higher risk of depression.

The research found that women who experienced severe morning sickness during pregnancy were more likely to face depression both before and after giving birth, the university said in a news release on Friday.

They were also found to develop postpartum depression at an earlier stage.

"In addition to the physical effects, severe nausea in pregnancy carries a considerable psychosocial burden. However, information on its association with psychiatric illness has been limited so far," the press release said, underlining that this is the first time this association has been identified.

The study examined data from over 437,000 Finnish women between 2004 and 2017, and found 8.8% of those with severe pregnancy nausea had pre-pregnancy depression, compared to 1% in the control group.

"This means that these women were more than five times as likely to experience depression before pregnancy. In addition, they were also about 3.5 times more likely to develop new, previously undiagnosed depression after childbirth," the statement added.

The study also found that, on average, depression was diagnosed 3.3 years after delivery in women with severe pregnancy nausea, compared with 4.5 years in the control group.

"Our research shows that severe nausea in pregnancy is not only a physically stressful condition, but also a significant mental health risk factor. The results emphasise the need for improved collaboration between psychiatry, gynecology, and primary care," said doctoral researcher Eeva Terava-Utti.