Delivery mode and the course of pre- and postpartum depression

• Published in: Archives of gynecology and obstetrics 2012-12, Vol.286 (6), p.1407-1412
• Main Authors: Rauh, Claudia, Beetz, Andrea, Burger, Pascal, Engel, Anne, Häberle, Lothar, Fasching, Peter A., Kornhuber, Johannes, Beckmann, Matthias W., Goecke, Tamme W., Faschingbauer, Florian
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Cesarean section; Cesarean Section - psychology; Delivery, Obstetric - psychology; Depression, Postpartum - psychology; Endocrinology; Extraction, Obstetrical - psychology; Female; Gynecology; Human Genetics; Humans; Maternal-Fetal Medicine; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Obstetrics/Perinatology/Midwifery; Postpartum Period - psychology; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Trimester, Third - psychology; Prospective Studies; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Statistics, Nonparametric; Surveys and Questionnaires
• ISSN: 0932-0067; 1432-0711
• DOI: 10.1007/s00404-012-2470-8

Purpose To compare depressiveness scores, both during and after pregnancy, with the delivery mode (DM). Methods In a longitudinal, prospective study, standardized questionnaires for the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale were presented to 1,100 women and used to assess the presence and severity of depressiveness at three time points: prenatal, from the 30th gestational week (Q1); 48–72 h postnatal (Q2); and 6–8 months postnatal (Q3). The patients were divided into four groups relative to DM: spontaneous delivery, primary cesarean section (CS), secondary CS, and assisted vaginal delivery. The final number of participating women with both delivery mode and depression information for all three time points was 753. Results There was a significant difference of the mean EPDS values between the spontaneous delivery and primary CS groups ( P  = 0.04) at Q1 (5.1 vs. 6.3). None of the other comparisons was significant. Significant differences relative to DM were seen at Q2 ( P