We found a match
Your institution may have rights to this item. Sign in to continue.
- Title
Elevated midpregnancy corticotropin-releasing hormone is associated with prenatal, but not postpartum, maternal depression.
- Authors
Rich-Edwards, J W; Mohllajee, A P; Kleinman, K; Hacker, M R; Majzoub, J; Wright, R J; Gillman, M W
- Abstract
<bold>Context: </bold>Elevated hypothalamic CRH has been implicated in melancholic major depression in nonpregnant individuals, but the role of placental CRH in maternal prenatal and postpartum depression is largely unexplored.<bold>Objective: </bold>The objective of the study was to examine the association of maternal midpregnancy plasma CRH levels with prenatal and postpartum depression.<bold>Participants: </bold>The study included 800 participants in Project Viva, a pregnancy and childhood cohort.<bold>Methods: </bold>CRH levels were analyzed from blood samples obtained at mean 27.9 wk gestation (+/- 1.3 sd; range 24.6-37.4 wk) and were normalized on the logarithmic scale. Depression was assessed with the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (range 0-30 points) in midpregnancy and at 6 months postpartum. We used logistic regression to estimate the odds of scoring 13 or more points on the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale as indicative of major or minor depression.<bold>Results: </bold>Seventy (8.8%) and 46 (7.5%) women had prenatal and postpartum depression symptoms, respectively. Mean log CRH was 4.93 (+/- 0.62 sd). After adjusting for confounders, an sd increase in log CRH was associated with nearly 50% higher odds of prenatal depression symptoms (odds ratio 1.48, 95% confidence interval 1.14-1.93). Higher CRH levels during pregnancy were unassociated with greater risk of postpartum depressive symptoms. In fact, there was a suggestion that prenatal CRH levels might be inversely associated with risk of postpartum depressive symptoms (odds ratio 0.82, 95% confidence interval 0.58-1.15).<bold>Conclusions: </bold>Elevated placental CRH levels in midpregnancy are positively associated with risk of prenatal depression symptoms but not postpartum depression symptoms.
- Subjects
CORTICOTROPIN releasing hormone; MENTAL depression; GESTATIONAL age; MOTHERHOOD; PARENTING; POSTPARTUM depression; PREGNANCY complications; RESEARCH funding; LOGISTIC regression analysis
- Publication
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2008, Vol 93, Issue 5, p1946
- ISSN
0021-972X
- Publication type
journal article
- DOI
10.1210/jc.2007-2535