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Efficacy of Probiotics in the Treatment of Postpartum Depression

Capstone
2024

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Abstract: Postpartum depression (PPD) is a prevalent disorder in the United States (U.S.) in which postpartum women experience extreme feelings of sadness and hopelessness in the first four to six weeks following childbirth. The regimen for treating PPD includes cognitive behavioral therapy and medications, such as zuranolone and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). However, both medication options often come with side effects, such as fatigue and nausea, forcing patients to choose between enduring side effects or treating their depression. Research suggests that the gut-brain-axis, a system in which microorganisms in the digestive tract of humans plays role in mental health. Altering the landscape of the gut-brain-axis with the consumption of probiotics, or beneficial live microorganisms, may improve mental health outcomes. A few trials have been conducted in which probiotics were used for the treatment of PPD. With the high prevalence of PPD, probiotic therapy has the potential to significantly improve the lives of patients with PPD by reducing symptoms with little to no side effects. By improving the lives of postpartum mothers, probiotic therapy may also significantly improve the care given to newborns. This literature review includes randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in PubMed in the last ten years in which probiotic therapy was used as monotherapy for patients with PPD within one year of childbirth and the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) was used to evaluate the severity of the PPD. Two of the RCTs reviewed in this paper showed that probiotic therapy was clinically significant in improving the symptoms of PPD in its participants. In the clinically significant trials, the EPDS score averaged two points lower in those with probiotic therapy versus those without therapy.
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Record Data:

Program:
Physician Assistant Studies
Location:
Nashville
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