Blood Biomarkers Can Help Determine Post-Pregnancy Depression 

Michigan-based researchers found that signs of inflammation in blood could predict and identify severe depression during and after pregnancy, promoting precision medicine efforts.

By identifying specific biomarkers that are impacting patients, researchers can develop precision medicine approaches to improve targeted treatment and patient outcomes.

The Van Andel Institute and Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services research team’s analysis identified a set of 15 biomarkers found in blood that can predict if a pregnant woman will experience significant depressive symptoms with 83 percent accuracy. According to researchers, these findings could provide physicians with an accurate tool to indicatewomen at risk for depression.

Around one in five new mothers experiencesevere depressionduring or after pregnancy, with an estimated 14 percent having suicidal thoughts. Previous research has found that inflammation can lead to worsening depressive symptoms, creating concern as pregnancy is a major inflammatory event.

“Depression isn’t just something that happens in the brain — its fingerprints are everywhere in the body, including in our blood,” Lena Brundin, MD, PhD, Van Andel Institute professor and co-senior author of the study, said in a press release.

“The ability to predict pregnancy-related depression and its severity will be a gamechanger for protecting the health of mothers and their infants. Our findings are an important leap forward toward this goal.”

The study is among the first of its kind and followed 114 volunteers from Spectrum Health’s Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic throughout their entire pregnancies. The patients providedblood samplesand underwent clinal evaluations for depressive symptoms in each trimester and the postpartum period.

“Having an objective and easily accessible method associated with depression risk, such as a blood test, provides a unique tool for helping identify women who may develop depression during pregnancy,” said EricAchtyes, MD, staff psychiatrist at Pine Rest, associate professor at Michigan State University and co-senior author of the study.

“Our findings are an exciting development and an important first step toward using these types of methods more widely to help patients. Our next steps include replicating the results in additional patient samples to verify cut-offs for depression risk.”

The study’s research was supported by VanAndelInstitute, PineRestChristian Mental Health Services, and the National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institute of Health.