NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Bright-light therapy may be an effective treatment for depression in pregnant women, Yale researchers report.

"The availability of an easy-to-use, potentially non-toxic antidepressant--light therapy-- in pregnancy is a clinically attractive option," lead author Dr. Dan Oren, an associate professor of psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, told Reuters Health.

The researchers conducted a pilot experiment to see whether exposure to bright light, a technique used to treat those suffering from seasonal affective disorder (SAD) or winter depression, might also work on women suffering from depression during pregnancy.

Around 5% of pregnant women meet the criteria for major depression, Oren noted. However, doctors are often reluctant to prescribe antidepressant medications to pregnant women for fear of their effect on the fetus.

Previous research has suggested that bright light exposure may help people suffering from major depression or from postpartum depression. "The exact mechanism has not been elucidated," Oren noted. "Some data suggest that light therapy advances the timing of the daily biological clock, which may then bring about the antidepressant effect."

Sixteen pregnant women suffering from major depression completed the pilot study. They were instructed to expose themselves to an hour a day of bright ultraviolet light from a light box within 10 minutes of waking up for three to five weeks. The findings were published in the April issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.

The researchers reported that the patients showed a moderate improvement of their levels of depression after just three weeks of light treatment. For the seven women who underwent five weeks of light therapy, their average score on a scale that measures depression improved by 59%. When the light therapy was discontinued, the women showed signs of an increase in their levels of depression.

The researchers are currently conducting follow-up clinical trials at Columbia University and the University of Louisville, as well as at Yale. If confirmed, this treatment could offer pregnant women potential relief from depression with few side effects, Oren said.

SOURCE: American Journal of Psychiatry 2002;159:666-669.

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