Munir Hamirani, Azra Sultana, Zubeda Ibrahim, Sarwat Sultana, Humaira Iqbal.
Frequency of prenatal Depression in second and third trimesters of Pregnancy in Karachi: a hospital based study.
J Liaquat Uni Med Health Sci Jan ;5(3):106-9.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency of depression and its relationship with some demographic variables in pregnant women presenting in the second and third trimester at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. DESIGN: A descriptive study. SETTING: Departments of Psychiatry and Gynecology/Obstetrics, Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Karachi, Sindh- Pakistan, from July 2003 to October 2003. METHODS: Seventy-five females in second and third trimester of pregnancy were interviewed in out patients department. Questionnaire was based on Edinburgh postnatal depression scale. Main outcome measure was to find out the number of pregnant depressed females. RESULTS: Pregnant females had twenty-six to thirty-six weeks of pregnancy. Twenty-six females (34.6%) were found to have clinically significant depression according to Edinburgh postnatal depression scale. Most of the cases were found between 22 and 36 weeks of pregnancy. The average age of presentation was 26 years. Six, out of 26 (23%) depressed females were primigravida. More so, other cases which were having depression were mostly in their second or third confinements (ten cases out of twenty-six i.e. 38%). CONCLUSION: Prenatal depression is an important clinical entity and shall be screened during second and third trimesters of pregnancy. The more severe cases should be offered treatment with either psychotherapy or medications to avoid future complications.

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