Postpartum depression seems to be more common than thought among U.S. women, a survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released on Friday showed.

Postpartum depression, also known as postnatal depression is a form of clinical depression, which can affect women after childbirth. Symptoms of postpartum depression can occur anytime in the first year postpartum and include, but are not limited to, the following: sadness, hopelessness, low self-esteem, guilt, sleep disturbances, inability to be comforted, exhaustion, emptiness, inability to enjoy things one previously enjoyed, social withdrawal, low energy and feeling inadequate in taking care of the baby.

The approximately 52,000 new moms in 17 states included in the survey in 2004-2005 had to answer just two questions: 1.) "Since your new baby was born, how often have you felt down, depressed, or hopeless?" and 2.) "Since your new baby was born, how often have you had little interest or little pleasure in doing things?"

The women answering “always” or “often” were considered to suffer from postpartum depressive symptoms.

The prevalence of self-reported postpartum depression ranged from 11.7 percent in Maine to 20.4 percent in New Mexico.

The most affected by postpartum depression seemed to be teenage moms, mothers with less than 12 years of education, Medicaid patients, smokers, victims of physical abuse before or during pregnancy and women under traumatic of financial stress during pregnancy.

Women who have symptoms of postpartum depression are urged to get treatment for the sake of mother and baby alike.

The survey’s findings were published in the April 11 edition of the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.