Having boys increases post-natal depression risk

Women who give birth to a son are more likely to develop severe post-natal depression, according to French researchers. They studied 181 women, a third of whom developed post-natal depression after delivery. Of the 9% who had severe depression, three-quarters had given birth to boys, the study authors said. 'We believe that this study – carried out in a French community where women didn't face cultural pressures over the sex of their baby – is the first to show that women who give birth to boys are more likely to suffer from severe PND,' said author Claude de Tychey, professor of psychology at Universite Nancy 2. 'We believe that our findings have important public health consequences, as they point to the need for developing prevention and early psychotherapeutic programmes for women giving birth to boys.'

Journal of Clinical Nursing (2008) 17: 312-322