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Link found between gestational diabetes, postpartum depression risk

Women with gestational diabetes mellitus may be at elevated risk for postpartum depression symptoms, according to findings published in the Journal of Affective Disorders.

“An association between medical history of depression and an increased likelihood of developing [gestational diabetes mellitus] has been suggested based on a large multiethnic retrospective cohort study in the U.S.,” Aleksi Ruohomäki, PhD student at the Institute of Clinical Medicine/Psychiatry, University of Eastern Finland, and colleagues wrote. “Nevertheless, data on the relationship between [gestational diabetes mellitus] and [postpartum depression] remain scarce.”

In this prospective cohort study, the investigators examined the association between gestational diabetes mellitus and postpartum depressive symptomology in 1,066 women with no previous mental health issues using diagnostic criteria like those established by the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups for gestational diabetes mellitus.

Gestational diabetes mellitus was diagnosed per the Finnish Current Care Guidelines. Researchers evaluated depressive symptomatology using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) during participants’ third trimester of pregnancy and 8 weeks post-delivery. During the first trimester, a subgroup of 505 women also completed the EPDS.

The study reported the prevalence rates of gestational diabetes mellitus and postpartum depressive symptomology were 14.1% and 10.3%, respectively.

Of participants with postpartum depressive symptoms, 40.9% had third-trimester depressive symptomatology. Although gestational diabetes mellitus was not linked to an increased likelihood of third-trimester depressive symptoms, it was associated with an increased likelihood of postpartum depressive symptomology even after adjusting for covariates (OR = 2.23; 95% CI, 1.23-4.05).

Analysis of the subgroup with available data on first-trimester depression also revealed a significant link between gestational diabetes mellitus and postpartum depressive symptomology. The connection between gestational diabetes and an increased risk for postpartum depressive symptoms remained significant when adjusted for maternal age at delivery, BMI in the first trimester, first-trimester EPDS scores and third-trimester EPDS scores as covariates (OR = 2.43, 95% CI 1.05-5.62).

“Future studies should investigate whether these women would benefit from a closer follow-up and possible supportive interventions during pregnancy and the postpartum period to prevent [postpartum depressive symptomatology],” Ruohomäki and colleagues wrote.

“It would be beneficial to resolve whether the psychological burden related to the [gestational diabetes mellitus] diagnosis is a significant part of these mechanisms,” the researchers continued. “If this is the case, adopting new diagnostic criteria for [gestational diabetes mellitus], which would potentially increase the prevalence of [gestational diabetes mellitus], would simultaneously increase the prevalence of [postpartum depressive symptomatology].” – by Savannah Demko

Disclosure: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.