#5 - Cleveland Clinic Top 10 Medical Innovations for 2022

Breakthrough Treatment for Postpartum Depression: This treatment appears to show benefits very quickly, while traditional anti-depressants typically take two to four weeks to have a significant effect.

Experts believe the rate of postpartum depression could be at least twice as high as what current statistics reveal because many cases go undiagnosed. Currently, counseling and anti-depressant medications are the primary treatments but some women do not respond to these therapies. In 2019, the FDA approved an intravenous infusion treatment designed totreat postpartum depression specifically. This novel therapy, administered around the clock for 60 hours, uses a neurosteroid to control the brain’s response to stress. This treatment design is groundbreaking as it targets the signaling thought to be deficient in hormone-sensitive postpartum depression. Additionally, this treatment appears to show benefits very quickly, while traditional anti-depressants typically take two to four weeks to have a significant effect. This rapid treatment option would be a breakthrough for women with this often overlooked condition.