HARTFORD, Conn. —
Doctors have a found a new way to treat postpartum depression in women.
It's a new drug, approved by the FDA last August, but supply just started rolling out.
Amber Diaz talked to a doctor about how effective it is and why many are calling it a breakthrough in postpartum care.
"It's actually one of the most common, the most common complication of pregnancy period above any other thing!"
Dr. Ariadna Forray is talking about postpartum depression, a medical condition that she says affects up to 20 percent of women following childbirth.
If you're a new mom, these symptoms may sound familiar.
"If someone's not sleeping when the baby's sleeping, that's a sign of changes in appetite, you know, feeling worthless, feeling a lot of guilt. And obviously, in very severe cases, they can also include having thoughts about not wanting to go on living or hurting themselves," said Forray.
But with new, medical breakthroughs, there's new hope and treatments.
Within the last few months, doctors have started prescribing a new medication called Suranalone.. The first ever pill approved by the FDA to treat postpartum depression.
"And essentially what it is, it's a synthetic form of a naturally occurring metabolite of progesterone, right? A lot of folks are familiar with progesterone, which is one of the hormones that you know are essential for in pregnancy," said Forray.
Already, she says studies have shown women began feeling better within 3 days of taking it... Unlike other antidepressants, which take anywhere from 4 to 8 weeks to start working.
"It's also only a two-week treatment. So again, that's very unique," she says.
Dr. Forray says so far, no side effects have been reported among patients. However, she has seen issues in women getting access to the drug, as it's only available at a handful of pharmacies.
She also says not every woman will be eligible for this treatment.
"It has to be someone that developed depression, either in the last trimester, in the third trimester of pregnancy or in the first four weeks postpartum and it has to be severe depression, to be able to be eligible to get prescribed the medication," Forray said.
Dr. Forray says being eligible for the medication is one thing, while acknowledging you have a problem is another. That's why she advises women to advocate for themselves and to never be afraid to ask for help.
"The message that I would send to folks is it's, it's okay, that it's not always perfect, and that it's difficult, and that there is help there's no reason to kind of suffer alone. And so they're really good treatments available."
RELATED VIDEO: