Does weight gain during pregnancy influence antenatal depressive symptoms? A systematic review and meta-analysis

Conflicting results have been reported on the associations between inappropriate gestational weight gain (GWG) and the risk of depression during pregnancy. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the association between weight gain during pregnancy and the risk of antenatal depressive symptoms.

A systematic search was performed in PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, PsycINFO and CINAHL databases from database inception to July 31, 2020, and relevant studies were identified. Observational studies assessing the association between GWG using the Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommendations and maternal depressive symptoms during pregnancy were included. We used a random-effects model to estimate risks. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed.

Of the 1232 studies identified, 19 met the inclusion criteria. The pooled odds ratio for the association between inadequate, excessive and total GWG and antenatal depressive symptoms was 1.09 (95% CI; 0.94-1.25), 0.94 (95% CI; 0.85-1.03), and 0.99 (95% CI, 0.88, 01.13), respectively. Sensitivity and subgroup analyses provided consistent findings.

The findings showed that neither women who gained weight below IOM recommendations, nor women who gained weight above IOM recommendations were more likely to experience depressive symptoms during pregnancy compared with women whose weight gain was within the recommended range. Studies focus on trimester-specific GWG and antenatal depressive symptoms are needed.