There are many hormonal changes that affect the emotional aspect of a pregnant women in the onset of pregnancy. However, these changes go on even after pregnancy or after childbirth.

These changes are not only limited to the physical aspect, but there are also emotional changes that women experience after giving birth. One of the most unpleasant emotional changes that most women experience after childbirth is post partum depression.

Researchers have noted that the fast changes in the levels of estrogen, progesterone and thyroid hormones can affect the mood of women and this is the major cause of post partum depression.

Aside from the hormonal changes that cause post partum depression, a family history of mood disorders can alleviate the experience. Post partum depression may also be caused by the women's family background where she has a history of severe premenstrual syndrome. These are the women who are most likely to get depressed after childbirth.

This change in mood in post partum depression usually happens a few days after giving birth or even after a year.

The symptoms may include unrecognized reason for crying, anxiety over herself and the baby, fatigue and exhaustion, changes in appetite and sleeping patterns, feeling of hopelessness and unworthiness, confusion, sluggishness, frequent high and low mood swings and baby blues.

These symptoms may range from mild episodes to severe ones and this may be experienced alternately on the onset of the depression. Milder post partum depression may include isolation and feeling of guilt and shame. Women will also experience intense anxiety and irrational fears.

Severe episode of Depression may be linked to psychotic features such as infanticide where the mother experience hallucinations to kill the baby or other delusions that give the mother an impression that the baby might be possessed. If a woman has a postpartum episode that has psychotic features, there is a 30 to 50 percent probability that it will happen in every delivery.

If you have post partum depression you need to be treated as soon as possible when the symptoms are observed. A treatment plan for this depression may include medical evaluation to find out further psychological problems, psychiatric problems, psychotherapy, possible medication, and support group.

It is advised that women should continue therapeutic treatment even though symptoms start to diminish. Researchers found out that there is a tendency that the symptoms will recur if the treatment is prematurely stopped.