Obstetric complications in bipolar disorder: Psychiatric factors and the risk of caesarean section

Bipolar Disorder (BD) is a chronic psychiatric condition with somatic morbidity that requires continuous mood stabilizing treatment to prevent relapses. Pregnant women with BD have shown an increased rate of caesarean section (C-Section) in comparison with women without BD. Because specific differentiated profiles between mothers with BD that require C-Section and those that do not require C-Section have not been largely discussed, we aim to explore the risk factors associated with the type of delivery in pregnant women with BD. A prospective cohort study was conducted at the Perinatal Mental Health Unit. 100 pregnant women with BD were followed throughout their pregnancy by obstetric and psychiatric services at the same hospital. The cohort was developed in order to compare psychiatric and obstetric outcomes between women with BD that required C-Section (N = 40) versus women that did not require C-Section (N = 60). Final regression models showed an increased risk for obstetric complications during labour (OR 4,52, 95% CI 1,66-12,29), higher rates of hypothyroidism (OR 3,73, 95% CI 1,04-13,73) and treatment with lithium + antidepressant (OR 4,24, 95% CI 1,34-13,40) amongst the C-Section group when compared to the non-C-Section group. In our sample, women with BD treated with lithium plus antidepressant, with hypothyroidism and without obstetric complications have a 70,5% probability of C-Section. In conclusion, psychopharmacology and thyroid function might help understanding which women with BD will have more probability of C-Section. The implementation of more targeted interventions in selected patients might be useful to avoid complications during delivery.