Depression’s rebirth in pregnant women

Although sometimes touted as natural mood enhancers, hormonal changes during pregnancy offer no biological protection against major depression for expectant mothers who temporarily stop taking their antidepressant drugs, a new study finds.

Among 82 women who continued to use previously prescribed antidepressants throughout their pregnancies, 21, or 26 percent, experienced a recurrence of depression, says a team led by psychiatrist Lee S.