Pregnant women and new mothers are suffering from more mental health problems than normal due to increased stress brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic. Questionnaires dished out to 1,123 women in the US between May and August assessed the impact the coronavirus outbreak had on depression, anxiety and PTSD. It revealed more than a third (36.4 per cent) were depressed, compared to 15-20 per cent before the pandemicMoreover, one in five (22.7 per cent) reported 'clinically significant' levels of anxiety, and 10.3 per cent reported symptoms of PTSD. Pregnant women and new mothers are suffering from more mental health problems than normal due to increased stress from the Covid-19 pandemic (stock)These figures are significantly higher than normal as between ten and 20 per cent of women normally suffer from mental health issues during pregnancy. 'We know the perinatal period is already a time in which women are particularly vulnerable to mental health concerns,' said study author Dr Cindy Liu from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Massachusetts.

Source: Daily Mail December 02, 2020 11:18 UTC