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Updated: Jan 2, 2026

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Published on: January 31, 2025
Labor epidural analgesia and the risk of postpartum depression: A meta-analysis of observational studies
Joanna A Kountanis1, Christie Vahabzadeh1, Samuel Bauer2
1Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan Health System, 1500 East Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States of America.
Study Objective:
This study aims to systematically review the literature to evaluate the association between labor epidural analgesia (LEA) and postpartum depression (PPD).
Design:
Meta-analysis.
Setting:
Obstetric patients delivering vaginally with or without LEA in a hospital.
Interventions:
This study aimed to investigate the effects of providing LEA on developing PPD.
Measurements:
Pooled odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using the random effects model.
Results:
A total of 356 full text articles were reviewed. Eleven articles studying 85,928 patients met inclusion criteria. The pooled unadjusted OR 1.03 and 95% CI (0.77, 1.37) suggest that LEA is not associated with a decreased risk of developing PPD.
Conclusions:
Labor epidural analgesia was not shown to confer protection against developing PPD according to this meta-analysis. Future studies are needed to explore whether other aspects of LEA, beyond its presence or absence, influence the onset of PPD.
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