Labor Epidural Analgesia and Postpartum Depression

Introduction: Epidural labor analgesia may decrease the risk of postpartum depression (PPD).Methods: In a secondary analysis of a prospective study, the association between  epidural utilization and PPD was evaluated using a Fisher’s exact test. PPD was defined  as an Edinburgh Postnatal Depression score of >  10 at 6-8 weeks postpartum.Results: 20% (13/65) of women meet criteria for PDD. 24% (n=12/50) of women who received epidural labor analgesia developed PPD, compared to 6.7% (n=1/15) of women who did not receive epidural labor analgesia (P  = 0.27).Conclusions: Labor epidural analgesia did not reduce the risk of postpartum depression.