Depression is not a passing illness that will easily run its course and disappear. It is a disease that needs treatment. Without treatment, depression can affect a person for weeks, months and years. Women have a higher risk of clinical depression than men. Only about one-fifth of women with clinical depression will get the treatment they need.
Untreated depression is the number one cause of suicide.
There are many symptoms of depression. Some women experience more severe symptoms than others do. In women who want children, infertility can be a source of depression. Miscarriages and surgical menopause can also cause depression. The more children a woman has, the more likely it is that she'll experience depression.