Although hormonal contraceptive (HC) use has been associated with an increased risk of depression, its impact during the postpartum period remains uncertain. To address this, a study has examined the effect of initiating HC within 12 months after delivery on the risk of depression in 610,038 first-time mothers. The study found that postpartum initiation of hormonal contraceptives was linked to a higher risk of depression (adjusted hazard ratio (AHR): 1.49), increasing the 12-month absolute risk from 1.36% to 1.54%.
The association was consistent across different types of contraceptives, including combined oral contraceptives (COCs; AHR: 1.72), combined nonoral contraceptives (AHR: 1.97), and progestogen-only nonoral contraceptives (AHR: 1.40). Progestogen-only pills initially lowered the risk of depression but were associated with an increased risk later in the late postpartum period.…
