Lower allopregnanolone during pregnancy predicts postpartum depression: An exploratory study.

TitleLower allopregnanolone during pregnancy predicts postpartum depression: An exploratory study.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2017
AuthorsOsborne LM, Gispen F, Sanyal A, Yenokyan G, Meilman S, Payne JL
JournalPsychoneuroendocrinology
Volume79
Pagination116-121
Date Published2017 May
ISSN1873-3360
KeywordsAdolescent, Adult, Depression, Postpartum, Female, Humans, Middle Aged, Predictive Value of Tests, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Trimester, Third, Pregnanolone, Progesterone, Young Adult
Abstract

Current evidence is mixed on the role of progesterone and its metabolites in perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. We measured second and third trimester (T2 and T3) progesterone (PROG) and allopregnanolone (ALLO) levels by ELISA and postpartum depression (PPD) by clinician interview (DSM-IV criteria) in 60 pregnant women with a prior diagnosis of a mood disorder. Methods included multivariate and logistic regression with general linear mixed effect models. We found that, after adjustment, every additional ng/mL of T2 ALLO resulted in a 63% (95% CI 13% to 84%, p=0.022) reduction in the risk of developing PPD. Our findings extend previous work connecting ALLO and depression within pregnancy, and indicate that the relationship between pregnancy ALLO and PPD is worth further exploration in a larger sample.

DOI10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.02.012
Alternate JournalPsychoneuroendocrinology
PubMed ID28278440
PubMed Central IDPMC5420429
Grant ListK23 MH074799 / MH / NIMH NIH HHS / United States
R01 MH104262 / MH / NIMH NIH HHS / United States
R01 MH112704 / MH / NIMH NIH HHS / United States