Prevalence and risk factors for postpartum depression two months after cesarean delivery: a prospective multicenter study.

Abstract

Background: The prevalence and risk factors of postpartum depression after cesarean delivery remain unclear.

Objective: To assess the prevalence of postpartum depression and its risk factors 2 months after cesarean delivery.

Methods: Prospective ancillary cohort study of the Tranexamic Acid for Preventing Postpartum Hemorrhage after Cesarean Delivery (TRAAP2) trial, conducted in 27 French hospitals in 2018-2020 and enrolling women undergoing cesarean delivery before or during labor at 34 or more weeks of gestation. After randomization, characteristics of the cesarean delivery, postpartum blood loss, and immediate postpartum period, including memories of delivery and postoperative pain, were prospectively collected. Women's characteristics, particularly any psychiatric history, were collected from medical records. Two months after childbirth, a postpartum depression provisional diagnosis was defined as a score of 13 or higher on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, a validated self-administered questionnaire. The corrected prevalence of postpartum depression was calculated with the inverse probability weighting method to take nonrespondents into account. Multivariate logistic regression analyzed associations between potential risk factors and postpartum depression. A sensitivity analysis used an EPDS cutoff value of 11 or higher.

Results: The questionnaire was returned by 2793/4431 women (63.0% response rate). The corrected prevalence of postpartum depression provisional diagnosis was 16.4% (95% confidence interval (CI), 14.9-18.0%) with an EPDS score of 13 or higher and 23.1% (95%CI, 21.4-24.9%) with a cutoff value of 11 or higher. Characteristics associated with a higher risk of postpartum depression were pre-pregnancy characteristics such as young age (aOR 0.83, 95%CI 0.74-0.93 for each 5-year increase in maternal age) and non-European country of birth (aOR 2.58, 95%CI 1.85-3.59 for North Africa; aOR 1.57, 95%CI 1.09-2.26 for Sub-Saharan Africa and aOR 1.99, 95%CI 1.28-3.10 for other country of birth; reference: Europe) and some aspects of the cesarean delivery, notably its timing and context, emergency before labor (aOR 1.70, 95%CI 1.15-2.50; reference: before labor without emergency) and during labor after induction of labor (aOR 1.36, 95%CI 1.03-1.84; reference: before labor without emergency). Also at higher risk were women reporting high intensity pain during the postpartum stay (aOR 1.73, 95%CI 1.32-2.26) and bad memories of delivery on day 2 postpartum (aOR 1.67, 95%CI 1.14-2.45). Conversely, women who had social support in the operating room had a lower risk of postpartum depression (aOR 0.73, 95%CI 0.53-0.97).

Conclusion: Around one woman in six had postpartum depression symptoms 2 months after cesarean delivery. Some cesarean-related obstetric factors may increase this risk: cesareans before labor for emergency situations or during labor after medically indicated induction of labor, severe postoperative pain and bad memories of delivery before discharge. Specific subgroups of at-risk women could benefit from early screening or intervention to reduce the onset of postpartum depression. Perinatal professionals should pay particular attention to postoperative pain management.