New moms’ farts may help with postpartum depression, Harvard study says

Gas up, new moms!

Recent research from Harvard University suggests a woman’s toots can be useful rather than just plain embarrassing — and smelly.

Scientists found that gut bacteria produces gases that create hormones associated with pregnancy and mood regulation — including natural versions of drugs now used to treat postpartum depression, according to a study published in top-tier scientific journal, Cell.

The research adds to the growing list of ways that gut microbiota may influence human biology and health.

The study also provides new evidence that doctors could one day treat or prevent certain kinds of mental health conditions by manipulating gut microbes given the understanding of the so-called gut-brain link — the two-way communication system between the digestive system and brain.

“While it’s common knowledge that gut health is important to our overall well-being, exactly how bacteria that reside in our GI tract interact with one another and with our own cells to impact our mental health is still being uncovered,” said lead author Dr. Megan McCurry, who conducted the work in the prestigious Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School.

“This work reveals how certain gut bacteria perform a chemical transformation that produces a steroid that could impact women’s health and postpartum depression,” McCurry wrote in the 2024 study.

Postpartum depression is often a struggle mothers face following childbirth. Pregnancy yields a significant fluctuation in hormones (specifically estrogen and progesterone) and this is accompanied by increased stress, feelings of being overwhelmed, sleep deprivation and anxiety, according to the research.

It’s a serious mental illness that if left untreated by either medication or therapy, the condition can worsen into more perilous problems, such as postpartum psychosis, a serious condition that requires immediate medical attention and at times medication and hospitalization.