Women who go on to develop postpartum depression (PPD) may have characteristic levels of neuroactive steroids, molecules derived from the hormone progesterone, in their blood during the third trimester of pregnancy, according to a new study by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and the University of Virginia School of Medicine. These molecules influence the brain’s stress response and emotional regulation.

Dr. Lauren Osborne is Vice Chair of Clinical Research, Department of OBGYN at Weill Cornell Medicine and she discusses how postpartum depression affects many families, how common is it, and why has it historically been underdiagnosed or overlooked.