Background: B12 vitamin is essential for the functioning of the nervous system and the production of mood-related neurotransmitters. However, information on its association with postpartum depression (PPD) is limited.
Objective: To examine the effect of serum vitamin B12 levels during pregnancy on PPD, in healthy pregnant women from the Mediterranean region of Catalonia, Spain.
Method: This longitudinal study included a subsample of women at 54 days (7.7 weeks) postpartum (n = 336), who participated in the ECLIPSES Study conducted out in Tarragona, Spain. Maternal concentrations of vitamin B12 were determined in the first and third trimester of pregnancy and sociodemographic, nutritional, and psychological data were collected. PPD was assessed using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS).
Results: The prevalence of probable PPD was 21%. After adjusting for sociodemographic, lifestyle, biochemical parameters, and postpartum characteristics the regression model showed a negative association between EPDS scores and the highest quartile of serum vitamin B12 (first quartile (reference) vs. fourth quartile), (β = -1.267, 95% CI = -2.461, -0.073, p = 0.038).
Conclusion: Maintaining a normal-high level of vitamin B12 during early pregnancy can contributes to preventing PPD.
Keywords: ECLIPSES study; Vitamin B12 levels; maternal health; postpartum depression; prenatal nutrition.