Exposición a oxitocina sintética intraparto y riesgo de depresión post parto

Abstract

Depression is a frequently-seen postpartum complication, with 10-20% prevalence worldwide. Oxytocin has been recognized as a powerful neuromodulator and is present in the mothers’ response and bonding with their newborn. Use of intrapartum synthetic oxytocin is a common practice. Objective. To study potential connections between administration of intrapartum synthetic oxytocin and risk of postpartum depression in women from a public hospital in southern Chile, from 2014 to 2015. Material and method. Analytical, prospective cohort study with a consecutive sampling of 58 women, since their third trimester of pregnancy to twelve weeks after birth, using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Biopsychosocial and perinatal variables were analyzed (significance level < 0.05). This study was approved by the hospital ethics committee. Results. Average age was 26.07 years. Most of them had attended high school and were homemakers, had free health care and reported a good social support network. 63.7% received synthetic oxytocin. Risk of postpartum depression was 12.07%. Protective factors, and psychosocial and perinatal risk factors, as well as dosage and exposure time, were not statistically significant. Conclusion. According to EPDS, this group showed no statistical relationship between administration of intrapartum oxytocin and postpartum depression symptoms.