FEATURE
Postpartum The Perfect Storm
BY HEATHER M. ROSS
ALYONA JITNAYA/ISTOCK/GETTY
IMAGES PLUS; PAYNE PROVIDED
R esearchers from University of
Virginia(UVA) Health, John Hopkins
Medicine and Weill Cornell Medicine
discovered a potential contributor to post-
partum depression (PPD).

When autophagy (according to the
National Cancer Institute, the process cells
use to break down old, damaged or abnormal
proteins and other substances within cells)
is reduced, there is a direct ink to PPD.

Exploring this link between autoph-
agy and PPD might even help prevent
postpartum depression before the
baby is born.

“This is exactly why I study
PPD, because you can look
before people get sick and
see what’s different between
those who do get sick and
those who don’t,” says Jennifer
L. Payne, one of the aforemen-
Jennifer Payne
tioned researchers and vice
chair of research in psychiatry at
UVA Health.

“In women who went on to develop
PPD, their cells were demonstrating decreased
autophagy. They weren’t cleaning out debris
from their cells.”
As a condition that affects mental health,
PPD can feel scary and shameful to mothers
who know they should feel happy about the
birth of a child. It’s not always understood
why it occurs for some mothers and not
20 Washington FAMILY JUNE 2023
others—so being able to identify the
propensity for PPD in individuals would
be significant.

Here is what we do
know about
postpartum depression,
including risk factors, related conditions
and symptoms.

What is Postpartum Depression?
Postpartum depression is a type of depres-
sion that sets in after giving birth. The
symptoms of PPD can include overwhelming
fatigue, irritability, anger, feelings of hope-
lessness, restlessness, difficulty bonding
with your baby and more, according to the
Mayo Clinic.

Mothers are encouraged to seek medical
attention if they see these symptoms
worsening, or not fading within a couple
weeks, if they are finding it hard to care for
their baby or complete everyday tasks or if
they are having thoughts of harming them-
selves or their baby.

“Postpartum depression is the most
common complication of childbirth, and
it has long-lasting repercussions for the
mother and children,” Payne says.

At Johns Hopkins, Payne helped establish
the Women’s Mood Disorder Center
to study hormone-triggered mood dis-
orders and their impact. Her expertise
includes women’s mood disorders, PPD,
premenstrual dysphoric disorders and
perimenopausal depression.