Her husband had an affair and the pregnant woman fell into severe depression

Discovering that her husband was having an affair, a 30-year-old pregnant woman panicked, cried, ate erratically, wanted to abort her child, and was diagnosed with depression.

On July 7, psychology master Hoang Quoc Lan, Phuong Dong General Hospital, said that the patient was admitted to the hospital when she was in her second trimester, her face was pale due to staying up all night, her eyes were swollen and she constantly had the intention of giving up her baby. Before that, the shock from her husband’s betrayal made the woman unable to control her emotions, often blaming herself for not being attractive due to physical changes during pregnancy.

The family said the pregnant woman had a cheerful personality and was very excited to welcome her first child. However, marital events caused her to become withdrawn, lose her appetite, and neglect taking care of herself. After performing in-depth tests, the doctor diagnosed the patient with anxiety and depression disorders. Currently, Master Lan applies a treatment regimen combining drugs specifically for pregnant women and psychological therapy to stabilize the health of both mother and baby.

Global medical research shows that treating depression in pregnant women is a balancing act between treatment benefits for the mother and potential risks for the fetus. Unlike normal people, medication use in pregnant women complies with strict principles such as:Benefits outweigh risks.

For normal people, the priority goal is to get rid of symptoms as quickly as possible. However, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), for pregnant women, doctors only prescribe it when severe depression threatens to lead to suicide or neglecting pregnancy care – factors that are more harmful to the fetus than the side effects of the drug. If depression is mild to moderate, psychotherapy (such as CBT) is always the first choice before medication.

While normal people have access to a broad spectrum of new generation antidepressants, pregnant women are often limited to SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) due to fewer side effects.

In normal subjects, dosage is based on clinical response. In pregnant women, according to guidance from the British National Health Service (NHS), doctors must use “the lowest effective dose”. Treatment is not only decided by a psychiatrist but must involve close coordination (multidisciplinary team) with an obstetrician to closely monitor the development of the fetus through ultrasound and periodic malformation screening tests, which the protocol for normal people does not require.

According to Mr. Lan, pregnancy causes women’s hormones, physical health and emotions to change drastically, making them more sensitive and in need of protection from their partners than ever. The husband’s adultery at this time is not only a betrayal but also a loss of his greatest spiritual support. Negative thoughts about a child’s future or worries about a broken family always stress the brain, leading to an increased risk of depression.

Signs of depression in pregnant women often manifest through sadness, insomnia, despair, exhaustion of energy or loss of interest in preparing to welcome the baby. In severe cases, there may be thoughts of harming oneself or abandoning the fetus. This condition poses a direct danger to the mother through obstetric complications, and also puts the baby at risk of being born prematurely, underweight or underdeveloped.

Doctors recommend that pregnant women should not endure the pressure alone but should share with relatives to seek support. If symptoms of insomnia and loss of appetite last more than two weeks, the patient needs to immediately go to a psychiatric or psychological facility. Maintaining a healthy diet, exercising, limiting exposure to social networks, and seeing a specialist early will help pregnant women gain psychological balance and avoid unfortunate consequences for both mother and child.