According to a study published in Epigenomics, depression or maternal stress episodes during pregnancy were linked with placental gene modifications that can lead to potential fetal brain programming. “The epigenetic changes we reported are located near genes with known relevance to brain development, providing a potential biological explanation for why children born to women depressed during pregnancy have a greater risk of psychiatric disorders,” says Dr. Fasil Tekola-Ayele, PhD, an Earl Stadtman Investigator at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Read more from Healio here.

Expecting parents often express to Dr. Locke their understandable concerns about the safety of antidepressants during pregnancy. During the discussion of pros and cons, doctor and patient balance the concern of not treating depression and the risk to a developing baby of untreated depression in the mother. Dr. Locke would like to remind patients of the value of certain types of talk therapy like cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, as a safe, alternative or supplemental treatment.