Infertility history: is it a risk factor for postpartum depression in Turkish women?

PURPOSE: The aim of this cohort study was to assess postpartum depressive symptoms in women who had been successfully treated for primary infertility at 2 teaching hospitals in Turkey in 2008.

METHODS: The study groups comprised 51 fertile and 105 infertile women. The number of participants lost to follow-up was 28 fertile and 8 infertile women. "Descriptive Information Questionnaire" developed by the authors, the adapted "Beck Depression Inventory," and the adapted "Postpartum Depression Scanning Scale" were used to collect data.

RESULTS: The probability of developing postpartum depression in the infertile group is 1.352 times higher than that in the fertile group. However, this result cannot be considered to be statistically meaningful. A similar correlation was present between the level of depressive symptoms during pregnancy and in the postpartum period in both the infertile and fertile groups. Additional risk factors such as health issues during pregnancy, the notion that pregnancy causes a decrease in libido and negative body image, the infant's gender, pain from incision or infection, and dyspareunia were manifest in the fertile women, but not in the infertile women.

CONCLUSION: A history of infertility is not a major factor in postpartum depression. However, a history of depression may contribute to its development during pregnancy and in the postpartum period. Infertile women who experience severe anxiety and stress could be more prone to depression and should therefore be monitored closely.