Higher prenatal phthalate levels may increase the risk of postpartum depression, a new study has revealed. According to the study published in the JAMA Psychiatry journal, postpartum depression affects up to 20 per cent of new mothers, making it the most common pregnancy complication to occur after delivery.

Researchers from the US National Institutes of Health, Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) programme wanted to examine how chemicals such as phenols, phthalates, and parabens, commonly found in plastics might play a role in postpartum depression symptoms with factors like genetics and stress.