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Gestational diabetes increases risk for postpartum depression

Recent findings indicated an independent association between gestational diabetes and postpartum depression.

“Most practitioners think of these as two isolated and very different conditions, but we now understand gestational diabetes and postpartum depression should be considered together,” Michael E. Silverman, PhD, of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, said in a press release. “While having diabetes increases [postpartum depression] risk for all women, for those women who have had a past depressive episode, having diabetes during pregnancy makes it 70% more likely that they will develop [postpartum depression].”

Michael E. Silverman

To assess the role of depression history within prenatal and perinatal risk factors for postpartum depression, researchers conducted a nationwide prospective cohort study of all women with live singleton births in Sweden from 1997 to 2008.

Women with a history of depression had a relative risk of 21.03 (95% CI, 19.72-22.42) for postpartum depression, compared with women with no such history.

Among all women, postpartum depression risk increased with age (RR = 1.25; 95% CI, 1.13-1.37) and gestational diabetes (RR = 1.7; 95% CI, 1.36-2.13).

Pre-gestational diabetes (RR = 1.49; 95% CI, 1.01-2.21) and mild preterm delivery (RR = 1.2; 95% CI, 1.06-1.36) increased risk for postpartum depression among women with a history of depression.

Among women with no history of depression, young age (RR = 2.14; 95% CI, 1.79-2.57), undergoing instrument-assisted (RR = 1.23; 95% CI, 1.09-1.38) or cesarean (RR = 1.64; 95% CI, 1.07-2.5) delivery, and moderate preterm delivery (RR = 1.36; 95% CI, 1.05-1.75) increased risk for postpartum depression.

Postpartum depression rates significantly decreased after the first postpartum month (RR = 0.27).

“The reason a doctor asks if you smoke is because they know you are 20 times more likely to get cancer if you do. We believe [obstetricians/gynecologists] should now do the same for depression history,” Silverman said in the release. “With this information, we can now intervene early, before the mother gives birth.” – by Amanda Oldt

Disclosure: Silverman reports no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the study for a full list of relevant financial disclosures.