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Research by Women’s College scientists links preterm birth to increased risk of postpartum depression

February 04, 2010

By Patricia Nicholson

Scientists at Women’s College Research Institute (WCRI) and Women’s College Hospital in Toronto report that mothers of preterm infants may be at higher risk of postpartum depression than mothers of full-term infants.

Postpartum depression is one of the most common complications of childbirth, affecting 10 to 15 per cent of women, according to background information in the study.

The study was led by Simone Vigod, who is affiliated with both WCRI and the Reproductive Life Stages Program, part of the Women's Mental Health Program at Women's College Hospital. Vigod and her colleagues reviewed data from 26 studies of postpartum depression published in medical journals. They compared the incidence of postpartum depression in women who had given birth to preterm infants, to women with full-term infants. There were a total of 2,392 mothers of preterm babies (those born before 38 weeks gestation) included in the review.

The results indicate that women who give birth preterm have a higher risk of depression in the six to 12 weeks following birth. Women whose babies were premature or had low birth weights (less than 2,500 grams, or 5.5 pounds) had depression rates as high as 40 per cent during this period.

Among mothers whose babies were very premature (born before 33 weeks gestation) or born with very low birth weights (less than 1,500 grams, or 3.3 pounds), risk of depression remained high throughout the year following birth.

One possible reason for increased risk of postpartum depression in these women is the increased stress associated with giving birth to a preterm and low-birth-weight baby – particularly very preterm and very low-birth-weight infants, who may have health issues or developmental challenges. If this group of women is more vulnerable to postpartum depression, there may be a need to identify and monitor depressive symptoms in these women.

The authors note that one limitation of their research was that the studies they included did not report data on depression during pregnancy, so there is no way of excluding women who may have been depressed prior to giving birth.

The research was published online in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology on Jan. 29, 2010.

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