Psychiatrists are developing a chemical-free food supplement pill to help women who suffer depression after giving birth.

Post-natal depression affects around 13 per cent of mothers causing symptoms such as sleep problems, loss of appetite, feelings of worthlessness, sadness and disinterest in motherhood.

Researchers hope the supplement will stabilise chemical changes in the brain which can cause depression in the days and weeks after giving birth.

By studying the physical and psychological changes that occur to women after childbirth, researchers found that an enzyme called monoamine oxidase A (MOA-A) reaches levels 43 per cent higher than in women who have not given birth.

The levels of MOA-A peak five days after childbirth which is crucially when the precursor to post-natal depression (known as the ‘baby blues’) is at its worst.

Posting their findings in the medical journal ‘Archives of General Psychiatry’, researchers noted that MOA-A breaks down the brain chemicals dopamine and serotonin which help keep mood levels even. The results point to the enzyme being a key factor in post-natal depression.

The natural answer to the problem is to create a food supplement which can help replace both the serotonin and dopamine which has been attacked by MOA-A.

The supplement is to be made from natural ingredients and be compatible with breastfeeding.

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