Beyond the Baby Blues

Most women - up to 75 percent, according to Dr. Julianne Zweifel - will experience some mood changes in the first couple weeks after having a baby. But for between 12 and 20 percent of those women, the symptoms will extend beyond the first few weeks of parenthood, edging into perinatal mood disorder territory. On this episode, Dr. Zweifel discusses common perinatal mood disorders like postpartum depression and anxiety, what we know about the causes of perinatal mood disorders, and the variety of available treatments. Dr. Zweifel is a health psychologist in the UW-Madison Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.