Survey study, 2016
Do women with postpartum depression have different symptoms than women with other depression?
Yes. Women with postpartum depression were more likely to report loss of sexual interest and mood changes before their period compared to women with other types of depression.
What they did
Face-to-face survey of 18,807 randomly selected Korean adults with an 80.2% response rate. Researchers used a diagnostic interview to identify postpartum depression (defined as major depression starting within 4 weeks after delivery) and compared it to other depression. Of the 679 women with major depression, 95 had postpartum depression.
What they found
Women with postpartum depression were significantly more likely to report loss of sexual interest (AOR=1.91, 95% CI 1.01-3.60) compared to non-postpartum depression. Loss of sexual interest was also associated with lifetime postpartum depression (AOR=1.93, 95% CI 1.12-3.31). Premenstrual mood change was significantly associated with postpartum depression (p=0.0036). Women with postpartum depression were less likely to report loss of confidence or loss of pleasure.
What it means for you
Loss of sexual interest and premenstrual mood changes may be specific features of postpartum depression compared to other depression, possibly related to hormonal changes. However, only 95 of the 18,807 participants had postpartum depression, which is a small proportion. The study was conducted in Korea, so results may differ in other populations.
18,807
adults surveyed
95
with postpartum depression
1.91
odds ratio for loss of sexual interest
About the study
- Original title
- Loss of sexual interest and premenstrual mood change in women with postpartum versus non-postpartum depression: A nationwide community sample of Korean adults
- Authors
- Kim K, Hong JP, Cho MJ et al.
- Journal
- Journal of affective disorders
- Year
- 2016
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 95
- What was tested
- None; observational community survey
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2015.11.050
Topics
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