During pregnancy one thing that is usually not on the expectant mother’s mind is her income. However, it has been shown that low-income women that have diabetes and are pregnant or have recently given birth face almost twice the risk of depression compared to the women who do not have a blood sugar disorder. It also did not matter whether the women developed diabetes before or during their pregnancy, or if they were taking oral medications or insulin; the risk of them developing depression was still much stronger for the women with diabetes.

Although this study did not look at potential reasons for this association, Kozhimannil stated that there are biological changes that occur with diabetes that could increase the risk for depression. She also said that the stress of managing a chronic illness such as diabetes might contribute to the risk for depression.

The risk factors for postpartum depression include a history of depression, trouble in relationships, domestic violence, stressful events, financial problems, lack of emotional or social support, a difficult pregnancy or delivery, and health problems with the infant. According to the authors, previous studies conducted have linked diabetes to an increased risk of developing depression in general.Both Kozhimannil and Welch said that while this particular study was done studying low-income women, the findings could be similar for women with higher income, though the stressors may be different. Welch recommended that no matter what your income is, if you are an expectant mother, you should try and set up a support system before the baby is born. Try and set up some extra help so that you are not alone with the infant day after day.