Scientists have identified a characteristic in blood that indicates a risk for postpartum depression in women according to The American Bazaar Report. Postpartum depression is an emotional imbalance that directly affects mothers giving birth and puts their children at significant risk of developing behavioral, cognitive and social disorders. The American Psychological Association examined that roughly nine to 16 percent of American women who gave birth will be left with PPD, which spikes to 41 percent for women who experienced the condition after a former pregnancy.

“We can greatly improve the outcome of this disorder with the identification of markers, biological or otherwise, that can identify women who may be at risk for its development,” said Connelly, senior author of the study and an assistant professor of Psychology at University of Virginia.

Connelly and his scientific team suspect that the oxytocin receptor and that biogenetic signifiers in this gene may greatly impact the risk for PPD. The study, published in the journal Frontiers in Genetics, reveals the interplay of the genotype rs53576 — which, regulates the gene’s expression of the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) — and the occurrence of postpartum depression.

The study sample belonged to the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children in the United Kingdom. Scientists placed emphasis on copying the findings in related population contexts. “Our data need to be replicated, but it is our hope that the oxytocin receptor marker we have identified will be useful to clinicians in identifying women at risk for postpartum depression,” said first author Aleeca Bell, of the University of Illinois, Chicago.