KPDS 2011-1 Soru=41

It is understood from the passage that one ofthe causes of postpartum depression could be —.

Women seemto be particularly vulnerable to depression during their reproductive years: Rates of the disorder are highest in females between the ages of 25 and 45. New data indicate that the incidence of depression in females rises aftergiving birth. In 2007 Patricia Dietz reported that 10.4% of 4,398 mothers had been depressed in the nine months following childbirth compared with 8.7% in the nine months before pregnancy and 6.9% during pregnancy. More than half ofthe women with post natal depression had also been depressed during or before pregnancy suggesting that a previous occurrence of depression may be the biggest risk factor for acquiring the illness postpartum depression. But the hormonal changes that occur in a new mother's body are also thought to contribute to postpartum depression. During pregnancy, a woman experiences a surge in blood levels of oestrogen and progesterone. Then, in the first 48 hours after childbirth, the amount of these two hormones falls suddenly, almost back to normal levels. This chemical instability could contribute to depression. Of course, hormonal flux does not fully explain postpartum depression. After all, this biochemical fluctuation occurs in all new mothers and yet only a relatively small proportion of them become depressed.