OBJECTIVES : The primary objective of this study is to determine the relationship between iron deficiency anaemia and antenatal depression among pregnant women

METHODS : A cross- sectional study was conducted among the second trimester pregnant women who attended the obstetrics department for antenatal care. A total of 210 participants were categorised into iron deficient (N=140) and iron enough (N=70) groups based on the haematological results. The risk of depression was assessed using a validated Edinburgh depression scale. A Pearson’s correlation analysis was performed to check the association of Edinburgh depression scores with patient characteristics. Linear and binary logistic regression models were used for predicting depression.

RESULTS : The distribution of depression was significantly varied between the groups. Edinburgh depression scores was significantly higher in the iron deficiency anaemia group in comparison with the non- iron deficiency anaemia group (12.78± 3.40 vs. 8.82± 3.12; p value= 0.005; 95% CI 2.94 to 4.87). There was a significant negative correlation between haemoglobin level and Edinburgh depression score. The odds of developing antenatal depression was 12 times higher in the iron deficient group, (p <0.001).

CONCLUSIONS : Our findings suggest that iron deficiency anaemia acts as an independent factor in influencing antenatal depression. The results from this study can be used to emphasize the impact of this correlation among the clinicians.