A medication commonly given to women during or after labor has been found to be associated with the development of postpartum depression and anxiety. The findings are published in Depression and Anxiety.

The medication, synthetic oxytocin, is a hormone therapy given to women to induce labor and/or treat postpartum hemorrhage.

Researchers reviewed data from the Massachusetts Integrated Clinical Academic Research Database on about 47,000 births by women between the ages of 15 and 50.

Drug for Postpartum Depression Succeeds in Mid-Stage Study

They found that women given synthetic oxytocin during or after labor faced a markedly higher risk of developing a depressive or anxiety disorder postpartum, compared with women who did not receive the medication. The risk increased by 36 percent for women who had such a disorder before pregnancy, and 32 percent for women with no history of a depressive or anxiety disorder.

“Since synthetic oxytocin is such an important and commonly used medicine for peripartum women, further research should examine dose, duration, timing and reason for treatment so that we can better identify which women may be at risk for developing postpartum depression and anxiety,” said study co-author Kristina M. Deligiannidis, MD, associate professor at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research. “Better identification of factors that place women at risk could significantly decrease the number of women who suffer with postpartum depression.”

Postpartum depression and anxiety affect 1 in 8 women in the United States annually, researchers said.

The Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University and the University of Massachusetts Medical School also were involved in the research.

—Terri Airov

References

Feinstein Institute study finds medication commonly used during labor associated with postpartum depression [press release]. Manhasset, NY: The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research; Jan. 30, 2017.