Exposure to chemicals commonly found in plastic and personal care products during pregnancy may contribute to postpartum depression, a study published by the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism found.
Exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals may increase likelihood of postpartum depression
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals may influence hormonal shifts during pregnancy as well as contribute to postpartum depression, according to a small study published in the Endocrine Society s
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
Postpartum depression is a serious and common psychiatric disorder that affects up to 1 in 5 childbearing women. The cause of postpartum depression is not well understood, but hormonal changes during pregnancy have been found to be an important factor. Harmful chemicals such as bisphenols and phthalates that are found in plastics and personal care products are known to affect sex hormones.
Certain environmental chemicals were tied to postpartum depression in new moms, researchers said.
A prospective study of 139 pregnant women found that those with greater prenatal exposure to certain endocrine-disrupting chemicals commonly found in plastics had a higher risk of developing postpartum depression 4 months after birth, reported Melanie Jacobson, PhD, MPH, of NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City, and colleagues.
Specifically, odds of developing postpartum depression were substantially increased (OR 1.48, 95% CI 1.04-2.11) with exposure to di-n-octyl phthalate (DnOP), used to make plastics more malleable and commonly found in medical tubing and food packaging.
This relationship was seemingly driven by a reduction in progesterone concentrations, the team wrote in the
COVID-19: Vermont opens vaccine appointments for ages 70 and up
Modified: 2/16/2021 11:16:29 PM
MONTPELIER The Vermont Department of Health was flooded with phone calls Tuesday morning as COVID-19 vaccination scheduling began for people ages 70 and over.
In the first 15 minutes of opening for that age group, the department received 7,000 calls, according to a news release. The state previously had focused vaccination efforts on those 75 and older, as well as health care workers, emergency medical providers and people in long-term care facilities.
Given the call volume, the department asks that people schedule their appointments online at healthvermont.gov/MyVaccine.
There are enough appointments for everyone in the age group, the release said.
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Good mental health can lead to better heart health, including lower blood pressure, cholesterol, better glucose control, and less inflammation, according to a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association. A person s mind, heart and body are all interconnected and interdependent in what can be termed the mind-heart-body-connection, said the chair of the document s writing committee, Glenn Levine, MD, of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, in a statement. (
Circulation)
Within 6 months of a COVID-19 diagnosis, roughly one in eight people developed their first psychiatric or neurological condition, according to a pre-peer-reviewed study. (
The Guardian)
Not surprisingly, alcohol use spiked during the early months of the pandemic, and particularly among people with pre-existing depression and anxiety. (