GPs should ask women who have given birth about their eating and sleeping habits in case they are suffering from depression, new guidance issued in the UK.

Women go to their family doctor around six weeks after giving birth for a check-up to see how they and the baby are doing.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) says this is a perfect opportunity for GPs to ask women about things such as eating and sleeping - which may be erratic after giving birth but can also be signs of mental health problems.

The new Nice guidance also reiterates women should be asked about their mental state at their first midwife appointment when they are around eight to 10 weeks pregnant.

Both doctors and midwives must be alert to the fact that women may be reluctant to talk about their mental health due to worries about their baby being taken away, it adds.

Depression and anxiety are the most common mental health problems during pregnancy, with around 12 per cent of women experiencing depression and 13 per cent experiencing anxiety at some point.

Depression and anxiety also affect 15 to 20 per cent of women in the first year after childbirth.

Women are at risk of several disorders alongside depression, including panic disorder, generalised anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and tokophobia (extreme fear of childbirth).

Postpartum psychosis affects between one and two in every 1,000 women who have given birth and is characterised by frightening symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations.

Women who already had a mental health issue before pregnancy may see their symptoms getting worse, while new changes - such as weight gain - can trigger or exacerbate eating disorders.

The new guidance says women should be asked about symptoms such as poor sleeping and eating at their six-week check.

During the first appointment with a midwife they should also be asked questions about mental health, such as how often in the past month have they been bothered by feeling down, depressed or hopeless.

Women should also be asked if they've lost interest in doing things they usually enjoy, if they are bothered by feeling nervous, anxious or worried and if they are able to sleep.

The guideline also says couples who have suffered a stillbirth at the end of pregnancy should be offered things such as a photograph of their baby as well as the opportunity to hold or see it.

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