The impact of maternal depression during pregnancy on perinatal outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
I've read alarming things about depression in pregnancy harming the baby — the pooled evidence shows modest effects on some outcomes and none on most. What does that actually mean for my situation?
Reasonable evidence with real limitations. how we score evidence
Caveat on this rating: A convenience-sample study design was associated with substantially higher odds ratios for premature delivery (OR 2.43) than better-sampled studies, which suggests the headline association is inflated by weaker studies. The authors explicitly call for higher-quality research. No funding statement could be read; the full text is paywalled.
A second meta-analysis, of 30 studies, found depression during pregnancy associated with premature delivery (OR 1.37, 95% CI 1.04-1.81) and with lower breastfeeding initiation (OR 0.68, 95% CI 0.61-0.76), but found no significant association with birth weight, low birth weight, NICU admission, pre-eclampsia, gestational age, or Apgar scores. The authors describe the effects as modest — useful counterweight to louder claims in either direction.
Worth asking
I've read alarming things about depression in pregnancy harming the baby — the pooled evidence shows modest effects on some outcomes and none on most. What does that actually mean for my situation?
What to watch for
Evidence quality tells you whether to trust the finding — not whether the treatment is safe. These are the risks this research reports.
- Fertility & pregnancy risk
Source
The impact of maternal depression during pregnancy on perinatal outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. — Grigoriadis S, VonderPorten EH, Mamisashvili L, et al. (2013)
Reputable peer-reviewed journal
Read the source: https://doi.org/10.4088/JCP.12r07968
DOI: 10.4088/JCP.12r07968
How this was scored
- Study design
- Systematic review of observational studies
- Funding
- Funding not disclosed
- Published in
- Reputable peer-reviewed journal
- Sample size
- not recorded
- Preregistered
- No
- Conflicts disclosed
- No
- Independent of proponent
- Yes
- Retracted
- No
Read the full scoring rubric, including what it can't tell you.
Published August 19, 2026.
Where we put this study in context
Questions
How strong is the evidence behind this?
Resolv rates this source "moderate evidence". Reasonable evidence with real limitations. It scores 57 out of 100 on our published rubric. One caveat travels with that badge: A convenience-sample study design was associated with substantially higher odds ratios for premature delivery (OR 2.43) than better-sampled studies, which suggests the headline association is inflated by weaker studies. The authors explicitly call for higher-quality research. No funding statement could be read; the full text is paywalled. The score is calculated from recorded facts about the source — study design, funding, publication venue, sample size, preregistration — not typed in by an editor.
What is the source for this?
The impact of maternal depression during pregnancy on perinatal outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. — Grigoriadis S, VonderPorten EH, Mamisashvili L, et al. (2013). Published in: Reputable peer-reviewed journal. DOI: 10.4088/JCP.12r07968. The full source is linked on this page so you can read it yourself.
Who paid for this research, and does that matter?
Study design: Systematic review of observational studies. Funding: Funding not disclosed. The researchers were independent of whoever benefits from the result. Industry sponsorship is one of the most reliably measured biases in medicine, which is why funding carries real weight in the score rather than sitting in a footnote.
Is this medical advice?
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.