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Corticotropin-releasing hormone unrelated to depressive symptoms during, after pregnancy
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Pregnant women had higher concentrations of corticotropin-releasing hormone in the cerebrospinal fluid compared with nonpregnant women, according to recent study findings published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
“Currently, it is not known whether the concentration of [corticotropin-releasing hormone] in [cerebrospinal fluid] is different between pregnant and nonpregnant women, and the relationship between [corticotropin-releasing hormone] levels in [cerebrospinal fluid] during pregnancy and the risk of perinatal depression remains largely unexplored,” the researchers wrote.
Alberto Moreno Zaconeta, MD, PhD, of the University Hospital of Brasilia, and colleagues evaluated 107 healthy pregnant women who underwent elective cesarean delivery and 22 nonpregnant healthy women who underwent spinal anesthesia for elective surgical sterilization to determine the differences in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) concentrations between the groups. Researchers also sought to determine whether the concentrations in late pregnancy are related to depressive symptoms during pregnancy and in the early postpartum period.
Alberto Moreno Zaconeta
Compared with nonpregnant women, pregnant women had higher CSF CRH concentrations (P < .0001).
Depressive symptoms were identified in 17 women during pregnancy and in the postpartum period (6.14 ± 1.29 weeks after childbirth) using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Depressive symptoms were identified in 4.7% before delivery, 5.6% after delivery, and 5.6% both before and after delivery. No significant differences were found in CSF CRH concentrations between women without depression and those with depression at any time or women with depression only before delivery, only after delivery or both before and after delivery.
“In conclusion, mean CSF CRH concentration in pregnant women was significantly higher than in nonpregnant women,” the researchers wrote. “CRH concentration in CSF measured in late pregnancy was no different between women with and without depressive symptoms during pregnancy nor between women with and without depressive symptoms after delivery. These results suggest that CRH concentration in the CSF in late pregnancy may not play a significant role in the pathophysiology of depression arising in the postpartum period.” – by Amber Cox
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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