Which new moms are at highest risk for postpartum depression?

(Web-MD) — First-time moms and new mothers of twins may be among those at greatest risk of postpartum depression symptoms, a large new study suggests.

Postpartum depression is a common illness. In the United States alone, about one in eight women report depression symptoms soon after giving birth, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Research suggests there is a genetic component to postpartum depression, and the hormonal changes of pregnancy may help trigger a depressive episode in vulnerable women, said Dr. Jennifer Payne, who directs the Reproductive Psychiatry Research Program at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, in Charlottesville. (…)