No relationship between maternal iron status and postpartum depression in two samples in China.
Maternal iron status is thought to be related to postpartum depressive symptoms. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between pre- and postnatal maternal iron status and depressive symptoms in pilot (n = 137) and confirmatory (n = 567) samples of Chinese women. Iron status was evaluated at mid- and late pregnancy and 3 days postpartum. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) was used to assess maternal postpartum depression 24-48 hours after delivery and 6 weeks later. In the pilot sample, correlations between early- and late-pregnancy maternal Hb and EPDS scores at 6 weeks were r = 0.07 and -0.01, respectively (nonsignificant). In the confirmatory sample, the correlations between maternal iron measures (Hb, MCV, ZPP, ferritin, sTfR, and sTfR Index) in mid- or late pregnancy or 3 days postpartum and EPDS scores shortly after delivery or at 6 weeks were also low (r values < 0.10). EPDS scores in anemic and nonanemic mothers did not differ, regardless of sample or timing of maternal iron status assessment. In addition, women with or without possible PPD were similar in iron status in both samples. Thus, there was no relationship between maternal iron status and postpartum depression in these samples.
Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Department of Psychology, Ashkelon Academic College, 78109 Ashkelon, Israel.
Rinat
R
Armony-Sivan
Jie
J
Shao
Ming
M
Li
Gengli
G
Zhao
Zhengyan
Z
Zhao
Guobing
G
Xu
Min
M
Zhou
Jianying
J
Zhan
Yang
Y
Bian
Chai
C
Ji
Xing
X
Li
Yaping
Y
Jiang
Zhixiang
Z
Zhang
Blair J
BJ
Richards
Twila
T
Tardif
Betsy
B
Lozoff
D000328:Adult; D018798:Anemia, Iron-Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001772:Blood Cell Count; D002681:China; D019052:Depression, Postpartum / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D004909:Erythrocyte Indices; D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011247:Pregnancy; D011250:Pregnancy Complications, Hematologic / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis; D039401:Prenatal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D011524:Protoporphyrins / Q000097:blood; D011581:Psychological Tests; D011990:Receptors, Transferrin / Q000097:blood; D057566:Self Report
D015415:Biomarkers; D006454:Hemoglobins; D011524:Protoporphyrins; D011990:Receptors, Transferrin; C017803:zinc protoporphyrin; D005293:Ferritins