Abstract
Author(s): MAGDALENA CHRZAN-DÄTKOÅ
Although the postnatal depression is a well-studied and described in the medical literature,much less is known about the antenatal depression. Meanwhile, studies show that approxi-mately twelve percent of women experience mood disorders during pregnancy.The aim of this article is to review research concerning the relationship between depressionand antenatal complications of pregnancy and childbirth such as premature birth (accordingto research depression doubles the risk of termination of pregnancy before 37 weeks gesta-tion) preeclampsia and low birth weight.The article also discusses ways of screening the emotional state of pregnant women, the authordraws attention to certain information from the interview with the patients, which could helpgynecologists assess their emotional state and decide about further treatment.