Breastfeeding may be linked to a reduced risk of depression and anxiety in mothers for up to ten years after pregnancy, according to findings from a small observational study published in BMJ Open.
The research tracked 168 second-time mothers who were part of the ROLO Longitudinal Birth Cohort Study over a decade. The women had all given birth to children weighing less than 4 kg. Follow-up assessments occurred at 3 and 6 months, and then at 2, 5, and 10 years post-birth. By the final check-up, the average age of participants was 42.
During each follow-up, mothers completed health questionnaires about diagnoses or treatment for depression or anxiety. They also provided details on diet, physical activity, and breastfeeding history—including whether they breastfed or expressed milk for at least one day, total weeks of exclusive breastfeeding, total weeks of any breastfeeding, and cumulative periods of breastfeeding longer or shorter than twelve months.
Of those studied, nearly three-quarters (73%) reported having breastfed at some point. The average period for exclusive breastfeeding was about five-and-a-half weeks; any form of breastfeeding averaged thirty-and-a-half weeks. Over one-third (37.5%) reported cumulative breastfeeding periods totaling at least twelve months.
At the ten-year mark, thirteen percent (22 women) reported experiencing depression or anxiety; another twenty-one percent (35 women) reported such conditions at any time during the study period.
Women who experienced depression or anxiety ten years after pregnancy were generally younger when entering the study, less physically active, and had lower wellbeing scores compared to those who did not report these conditions. Differences among women reporting depression or anxiety at any point during the study were only associated with age at entry.
Data analysis indicated that women with symptoms of depression or anxiety a decade after childbirth were less likely to have breastfed and tended to have shorter durations of both exclusive and overall breastfeeding throughout their lives. Each additional week of exclusive lifetime breastfeeding corresponded with a two percent reduction in the likelihood of reporting depression or anxiety after accounting for factors like alcohol consumption.
The authors note that this is an observational study with limitations including small sample size, lack of ethnic and social diversity among participants, and reliance on self-reported data rather than objective clinical measures.
Despite these limitations, researchers stated: "We suggest there also may be a protective effect of successful breastfeeding on postpartum depression and anxiety, which in turn lowers the risk of maternal depression and anxiety in the longer term."
They added: "The likelihood is that the association is multifactorial, as many socioeconomic and cultural factors influence both breastfeeding and mental health in addition to the impact of health history. Additionally, women with a prior history of depression and anxiety are at risk of lower breastfeeding success, compounding the association but in the reverse direction."
The researchers concluded: "We know that improving breastfeeding rates and duration can improve lifetime health outcomes, reducing population level disease burden and resulting in significant healthcare savings.
"The possibility that breastfeeding could further reduce the huge burden of depression on individuals, families, healthcare systems and economies only adds to the argument for policymakers to improve breastfeeding support."
