Whether or not women are being treated for depression, dealing with the condition can lower their chances of getting pregnant, according to a recent study.
Researches at Boston University found that while some medications for depression can have slight effects on fecundity, having depression at all affects the ability to conceive.
Although previous studies have suggested that drugs used for depression, such antidepressants, antipsychotics and mood stabilizers, could be the culprit for women's difficulty getting pregnant, the new research suggests other studies about the brain are closer to the truth.
Depression has been linked to dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, a part of the brain responsible for response to stress, which may affect both the menstrual cycle, as well as conception.