Operative Delivery and Postnatal Depression: a Cohort Study

Overview

Journal BMJ

Specialty General Medicine

Date 2005 Mar 1

PMID 15734748

Citations 19

Authors

Roshni R Patel

Deirdre J Murphy

Tim J Peters

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objectives: To assess the association between elective caesarean section and postnatal depression compared with planned vaginal delivery and whether emergency caesarean section or assisted vaginal delivery is associated with postnatal depression compared with spontaneous vaginal delivery.

Design: Prospective population based cohort study.

Setting: ALSPAC (the Avon longitudinal study of parents and children).

Participants: 14,663 women recruited antenatally with a due date between 1 April 1991 and 31 December 1992.

Main Outcome Measure: Edinburgh postnatal depression scale score > or = 13 at eight weeks postnatal on self completed questionnaire.

Results: Albeit with wide confidence intervals, there was no evidence that elective caesarean section altered the odds of postnatal depression compared with planned vaginal delivery (adjusted odds ratio 1.06, 95% confidence interval 0.66 to 1.70, P = 0.80). Among planned vaginal deliveries there was similarly little evidence of a difference between women who have emergency caesarean section or assisted vaginal delivery and those who have spontaneous vaginal delivery (1.17, 0.77 to 1.79, P = 0.46, and 0.89, 0.68 to 1.18, P = 0.42, respectively).

Conclusions: There is no reason for women at risk of postnatal depression to be managed differently with regard to mode of delivery. Elective caesarean section does not protect against postnatal depression. Women who plan vaginal delivery and require emergency caesarean section or assisted vaginal delivery can be reassured that there is no reason to believe that they are at increased risk of postnatal depression.

Citing Articles

Associations between maternal birth complications and postpartum depressive symptoms: A systematic narrative review and meta-analysis.

Cardenas E, Yu E, Jackson M, Humphreys K, Kujawa A Womens Health (Lond). 2025; 21:17455057251320801.

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Exploring the role of different coping styles in mediating the relationship between dyadic adjustment status and postpartum depression among postnatal women: a single-centre, cross-sectional study.

Deng J, Chen J, Tan Y, Guo X, Liu F BMJ Open. 2025; 15(1):e088699.

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Paria A, Atallah A, Nourredine M, Dubernard G, Joubert F, Landel V Eur Psychiatry. 2024; 67(1):e48.

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The mother during pregnancy and the puerperium: Detailed data abstracted from the clinical obstetric records of ALSPAC pregnancies.

Birmingham K, Gregory S, Iles-Caven Y, Fraser A, Lawlor D, Boyd A Wellcome Open Res. 2024; 6:41.

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Meta-analysis of association between caesarean section and postpartum depression risk.

Ning J, Deng J, Li S, Lu C, Zeng P Front Psychiatry. 2024; 15:1361604.

PMID: 38606408 PMC: 11006970. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1361604.

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