Postpartum status and emotional health in women aged ≥45 years during the menopausal transition: a prospective observational study.

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to describe associations between pregnancy, postpartum status and emotional health in women aged ≥45 years undergoing the menopausal transition.

Method: The prospective observational study included 71 women aged ≥45 years: 36 postpartum participants and 35 age-matched controls who had not given birth in the preceding 2 years. Participants completed the Cervantes Short-Form Scale (quality of life), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) at baseline, 12 months and 24 months.

Results: Participants had a mean age of 47.3 ± 2.0 years; most were employed, in stable relationships and university educated. Nearly all postpartum participants (97.2%) conceived via assisted reproductive technologies. No baseline differences were found between groups. At 12 and 24 months, postpartum women had higher BDI-II scores than controls (p = 0.010 and p = 0.015, respectively). In multivariable analysis adjusting for baseline scores, age and parity, this association remained significant (p < 0.001). No significant associations were observed for PHQ-9 or Cervantes scores after adjustment.

Conclusions: Among midlife women, postpartum status was associated with higher depressive symptom scores on the BDI-II but not on other measures. These findings are preliminary and should be interpreted as hypothesis-generating. Larger studies are needed to confirm these associations and identify potential contributing factors.