Does a Diagnosis of COVID-19 in Pregnancy Increase the Risk of Postpartum Mood Disorders? [ID 1430]

INTRODUCTION: The relationship between COVID-19 infection in pregnancy and postpartum mental health is unclear. This study examines whether the incidence of postpartum mood disorders is increased in women diagnosed with COVID-19 in pregnancy in comparison to those without infections. METHODS: The study design is a cross-sectional, descriptive analysis of participants previously enrolled in a health intervention, MOMitor, a smartphone application, which screened physical and mental health 6 weeks after delivery discharge. Charts were reviewed retrospectively for MOMitor participants from 2021 to 2023. The primary outcome of interest was a diagnosis of depression (PPD) and/or anxiety (PPA) within 6 weeks postpartum. The independent variable was COVID-19 diagnosis during pregnancy. Exclusion criteria was prior history of depression or anxiety. Proportions of those with PPD and PPA were compared between those with and without COVID-19 during pregnancy, and values of P were calculated via chi-squared analysis to assess statistical significance. RESULTS: Nine hundred eleven participant charts were reviewed, and 664 remained once exclusion criteria were applied. Among the 150 (22.6%) who were diagnosed with COVID-19 during pregnancy, 6 (4%) developed PPD, 5 (3.3%) developed PPA, and 4 developed both mood disorders (2.7%). The P values for the comparison of PPD and PPA were both <0.001, indicating that COVID-19 infection in pregnancy was associated with fewer PPD and PPA diagnoses. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS: COVID-19 infections in pregnancy were counterintuitively associated with fewer postpartum mood disorders. This may be due to less access or desire to obtain COVID testing in the comparison group. Timely postpartum mood disorder screenings are universally recommended regardless of infection history.