Folic acid supplementation during pregnancy and postpartum depressive symptoms

Authors

  • Bárbara Heather Lutz Universidade Federal de Pelotas. Departamento de Medicina Social. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Epidemiologia. Pelotas, RS, Brasil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9536-1516
  • Iná da Silva dos Santos Universidade Federal de Pelotas. Departamento de Medicina Social. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Epidemiologia. Pelotas, RS, Brasil https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1258-9249
  • Marlos Rodrigues Domingues Universidade Federal de Pelotas. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Educação Física. Pelotas, RS, Brasil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2503-2944
  • Joseph Murray Universidade Federal de Pelotas. Departamento de Medicina Social. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Epidemiologia. Pelotas, RS, Brasil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5511-3454
  • Mariângela Freitas da Silveira Universidade Federal de Pelotas. Departamento de Medicina Social. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Epidemiologia. Pelotas, RS, Brasil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2861-7139
  • Vanessa Irribarem Avena Miranda Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense. Programa de Pós-graduação em Saúde Coletiva. Criciúma, SC, Brasil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9156-5036
  • Marysabel Pinto Telis Silveira Universidade Federal de Pelotas. Departamento de Fisiologia e Farmacologia. Programa de Pós-Graduação Multicêntrico em Ciências Fisiológicas. Pelotas, RS, Brasil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6453-8534
  • Sotero Serrate Mengue Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. Faculdade de Medicina. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Epidemiologia. Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3349-8541
  • Tatiane da Silva dal Pizzol Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. Faculdade de Medicina. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Epidemiologia. Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7566-7745
  • Andréa Dâmaso Bertoldi Universidade Federal de Pelotas. Departamento de Medicina Social. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Epidemiologia. Pelotas, RS, Brasil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4680-3197

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11606/s1518-8787.2023057004962

Keywords:

Pregnancy, Folic Acid, Depression, Postpartum, Cohort Studies

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To verify whether folic acid supplementation during pregnancy is associated with the occurrence of maternal depressive symptoms at three months postpartum, in the 2015 Pelotas Birth Cohort. METHODS: This study included 4,046 women, who were classified into three groups: did not use folic acid supplementation during pregnancy; used during only one trimester of pregnancy; and used for two or three trimesters. Depressive symptoms were assessed at three months postpartum using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), at cutoff points ≥ 10 (mild symptoms) and ≥ 13 (moderate to severe intensity). RESULTS: The overall prevalence of mild symptoms was of 20.2% (95%CI 19.0–21.5), and moderate and severe was 11% (95%CI 10.0–12.0). The prevalence of EPDS ≥ 10 was of 26.8% (95%CI 24.0–29.5) among women who did not use folic acid and 18.1% for both those who used it during one trimester of pregnancy (95%CI 16.1–20.1) and those who used it for two or three trimesters (95%CI 16.0–20.2). The prevalence of EPDS ≥ 13 was of 15.7% (95%CI 13.5–17.9) in those who did not use folic acid, 9.1% (95%CI 7.5–10.6) in those who used it for one trimester, and 9.4% (95%CI 7.8–11.0) in those who used it for two or three trimesters. In the adjusted analyses, there was no statistically significant association between the use of folic acid during pregnancy and the occurrence of depressive symptoms at three months postpartum. CONCLUSION: Th ere w as n o a ssociation b etween f olic a cid s upplementation d uring pregnancy and postpartum depression at three months.

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Published

2023-10-26

Issue

Vol. 57 No. 1 (2023)

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Original Articles

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Copyright (c) 2023 Bárbara Heather Lutz, Iná da Silva dos Santos, Marlos Rodrigues Domingues, Joseph Murray, Mariângela Freitas da Silveira, Vanessa Irribarem Avena Miranda, Marysabel Pinto Telis Silveira, Sotero Serrate Mengue, Tatiane da Silva dal Pizzol, Andréa Dâmaso Bertoldi

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Lutz, B. H., Santos, I. da S. dos, Domingues, M. R., Murray, J., Silveira, M. F. da, Miranda, V. I. A., Silveira, M. P. T., Mengue, S. S., Pizzol, T. da S. dal, & Bertoldi, A. D. (2023). Folic acid supplementation during pregnancy and postpartum depressive symptoms. Revista De Saúde Pública, 57(1), 76. https://doi.org/10.11606/s1518-8787.2023057004962

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