Antenatal depression across trimesters as a risk for postpartum depression and estimation of the fraction of postpartum depression attributable to antenatal depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies

Objective: This meta-analysis aimed at estimating the prevalence of postpartum depression (PPD) at different postpartum timepoints in women with antenatal depression (AD) in the three trimesters. We also examined the association between AD and PPD, and estimated the population attributable fraction of PPD to AD. Methods: This systematic review and meta-analysis identified cohort studies that determined the prevalence of PPD in women who had AD, and those that examined the association between AD and PPD from PubMed, Embase, MEDLINE, CINAHL and PsycINFO. Articles were appraised using the modified Newcastle Ottawa Scale and data were analyzed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis. Results: Eighty-eight (88) cohort studies with a combined sample size of 1,042,448 perinatal women contributed to the meta-analysis. About 37% pregnant women who had AD, later had PPD. Those with AD had four times higher odds of developing PPD (OR: 4.58; 95% CI = 3.52–5.96). The odds of having PPD were higher when AD was observed in the first or third trimester compared to the second trimester. About 12.8% of PPD cases were attributable to AD. Conclusion: The findings should inform future clinical guidelines on the screening, the frequency of screening, and follow-up care in maternal-mental health.