Abstract
Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) and depression are both common complications of pregnancy and increase risk for adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. SDB precedes onset of depression in non-pregnant adults; however, the longitudinal relationship has not been studied in pregnancy. The present research examined temporal associations between SDB and depressive symptoms in 175 pregnant women at risk for SDB (based on frequent snoring and obesity), but without an apnea hypopnea index of ≥5 events per hour at enrollment. Women completed a self-report assessments of depressive symptoms using PHQ-9 and in-home level III sleep apnea monitoring at approximately 12- and 32-weeks’ gestation. We also assessed the risk for SDB using the Berlin Questionnaire in early pregnancy. Results revealed that measures of SDB in early pregnancy as assessed by in-home sleep study, but not by self-reported SDB, predicted elevated depressive symptoms in late pregnancy. SDB in late pregnancy was not associated with depressive symptoms. To conclude, these findings suggest that SDB may increase the risk for elevated depressive symptoms as pregnancy progresses.
Highlights
Sleep quality worsens during pregnancy [1,2], and poor sleep in pregnancy is associated with adverse outcomes of pre-term birth [3], longer labor and delivery time [4,5], and postpartum depressive symptoms [1]
50% had a positive score on the Berlin Questionnaire when category 3 was omitted from scoring
As all women reported loud snoring in pregnancy, and given that we and others have argued that the proper objective definition of Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) in pregnancy has not been clearly determined [28,29], we decided to examine the association of measures of SDB in early pregnancy that fell below the conventionally defined cut-off with depressive symptoms
Summary
Sleep quality worsens during pregnancy [1,2], and poor sleep in pregnancy is associated with adverse outcomes of pre-term birth [3], longer labor and delivery time [4,5], and postpartum depressive symptoms [1]. A mild form of SDB, increases from 7% of women in the first trimester of pregnancy to up to 48% in the week prior to birth [7]. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a more serious form of SDB, increases from 4–6% of pregnant women in their first trimester to up to 9–20% of women in their third trimester [8,9] and is associated with adverse maternal health outcomes [10]. Depression is a common health complication in pregnancy and is associated with adverse maternal, fetal, and child health outcomes [5,14]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
