Link between gestational diabetes and postpartum depression
Several pregnancy-related pathologies can occur when a woman is pregnant. First of all, gestational diabetes, which is, like “normal” diabetes, an abnormal level of sugar in the blood that can lead to many complications. There may also be postpartum depression which is a depressive syndrome in the mother more or less intense depending on the case, appearing most often within 4 to 8 weeks after delivery. This can last up to 1 year.
A recent studylinked gestational diabetes to postpartum depression. Indeed, researchers from the National Institutes of Health discovered that the 2pathologies could be triggered together.
The study
The researchers followed 2,334 non-obese women and 468 obese women over 3 distinct periods: between the 8th and 13th week of pregnancy, between the 16th and 22nd, and then 6 weeks after delivery. Their records were scrupulously reviewed to determine which of them had developed gestational diabetes. They were then provided with a questionnaire about the symptoms of depression.
What were the conclusions?
The results, published in Diabetologia(2) demonstrated that not only did women who had the highest depression score during the first 2 trimesters of pregnancy have a3-fold higher risk of developinggestational diabetes compared to other women, but that the opposite effect could be observed, i.e. a woman who developed gestational diabetes was more likely to develop postpartum depression.
These effects, although their mechanisms are not yet fully elucidated, could be explained for gestational diabetes to a rise in blood sugar levels causing hormonal inflammation, and therefore leading to port-partum depression, and conversely, postpartum depression being linked to a dysregulation of glucose metabolism could lead to gestational diabetes.
The women most concerned would be those suffering from obesity or overweight, over 35 years old, having had a 1st child whose birth weight exceeded 4 kg, and with a personal or family history of type 2 diabetes. But other women can also suffer from gestational diabetes. For these, a screening test can be performedat the level of the amniotic fluid.
Stephen Paul is the lead author and founder of My Health Sponsor. Holder of a diploma in health and well-being coaching with more than 200 articles in the field of health, he makes it a point of honor to offer advice based on reliable information, based on scientific research, and verified by health professionals.