Frequency of Depression in Women after Spontaneous Miscarriage

Post-miscarriage depression represents an important but under-studied community health burden. Miscarriage or pregnancy loss before the 24th week of gestation is not only a physiological occurrence but also a psychological shock that leads to depressive disorders. The objective of this descriptive cross-sectional study was to find out the prevalence of depression and its correlates among women admitted in a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan, following miscarriage. One hundred and fifty-five women aged between 18-50 years and who had experienced pregnancy loss to the 24 weeks were recruited by consecutive sampling. ICD-10 depression inventory scale was used to measure depression. The average age of the participants was 29.4 +- 6.2 years and the mean gestational age at loss was 14.2 +- 4.3 weeks. Depression was identified to occur at 18.0% (27/150). Stratified reality indicated that there are considerable relations between depression and maternal age more than 30 years (p = 0.048), rural residence (p = 0.041), and low monthly income (p = 0.031). There were no statistically significant relationships between gravidity, BMI and gestational age at miscarriage. These results emphasize the psychological effect of miscarriage and the importance of socioeconomic and demographic factors. Routine psychological assessment and incorporation of mental health services into obstetric care are justified particularly in higher-risk women. Sealing these gaps can assist in alleviating the psychiatric morbidity burden on post-miscarriage women in the long term.