Ketamine during or after C-sections may ease postpartum depression, study suggests

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By Olivia Bowthorpe

Ketamine given before, during or after a caesarean section may help reduce symptoms of postnatal depression in the first two weeks after birth, a meta-analysis suggests.

Researchers found a modest reduction in depressive symptom scores in patients who had had ketamine or esketamine compared with control groups, but concluded further studies are needed to determine if it can help prevent postpartum depression.

The analysis of six randomised controlled trials involving nearly 2,000 womenfound that overall, those given ketamine or esketamine had lower scores for depressive symptoms than those given placebo or standard care.

Lead author Peter Hsin, medical student at FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine in Miami, said: "Ketamine is known for its rapid antidepressant effects in psychiatric settings, and our findings suggest it may offer benefits beyond anaesthesia and pain relief for women having a C-section.

"This is promising, but it is too early to say that ketamine prevents clinically diagnosed postpartum depression or that it should be used routinely."