Valentines’ Day Blues
Remember when Valentine’s Day use to be simple. All it meant was to buy a classroom pack of Valentine’s Day cards and hand them out during the school party where you got as many as you gave?
Remember when Valentine’s Day may have meant romance at the beginning of a new relationship? Not knowing which way it would go- could this person be your “forever mate”?
But, if you are reading this article, it is possible that Valentine’s Day now has a different meaning – one that comes with a heavy heart. What should be a day of romance may be a day of grief for a lost child due to miscarriage, or relationship gone sour after years of infertility or put on the “back burner” because you are in the throes of fertility treatments.
And, while we hope that your “blues” are temporary and that hope and joy can fill your heart again, soon, we want to give you some insight as to whether what you are experiencing could possibly be more than “blues” and perhaps depression.
First, depression is a medical condition. You don’t “catch” depression like a cold, nor do you encourage depression from simple thoughts. Depression is technically a chemical imbalance which causes these symptoms as outlined by this WebMD article
According to the DSM-IV, a manual used to diagnose mental disorders, depression occurs when you have at least five of the following symptoms at the same time:
- A depressed mood during most of the day, particularly in the morning
- Fatigue or loss of energy almost every day
- Feelings of worthlessness or guilt almost every day
- Impaired concentration, indecisiveness
- Insomnia (an inability to sleep) or hypersomnia (excessive sleeping) almost every day
- Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in almost all activities nearly every day
- Recurring thoughts of death or suicide (not just fearing death)
- A sense of restlessness or being slowed down
- Significant weight loss or weight gain
If you feel that you are experiencing the symptoms of depression, please consult a medical professional. A reproductive endocrinologist, such as Dr. Norian and Dr. Nelson, are trained to help guide you through the infertility process and get you assistance if you are feeling more than “blues”. Also, note that many of the symptoms of depression can be due to other unrelated disorders. Weight gain and loss may be an endocrinology problem such as PCOS, etc. However, any change in behavior, mood or physicality that is a concern to you, is a concern to us.
For more information about our HRC Fertility office at Rancho Cucamonga (located in the Inland Empire) click here.
To learn more about depression, go here.
Please note that no article should substitute sound and sage medical care.