Taking folic acid supplementation on postpartum depression in women: a clinical trial

Introduction and objective Postpartum depression is a common complication in mothers that leads to adverse outcomes for mothers, children, and families. Some studies have investigated the role of supplement use in reducing and preventing depression; therefore, the present study aimed to determine the effect of folic acid supplement use on the rate of postpartum depression. Methods This study was conducted as a single-blind clinical trial on 60 postpartum mothers who had referred to service centers in Mashhad and Gonabad for 3–5 days of postpartum care in 2023. Sampling was carried out using a convenient method and using block random allocation of participants in two groups. Data collection tools included a demographic and obstetric characteristics checklist and the Edinburgh Standard Questionnaire. In this study, the control group used one placebo tablet daily and the intervention group used half a 1 mg folic acid vitamin tablet daily for two months. The depression score was measured at the beginning and one month and two months after the intervention. After completing the sampling, the three-day food intake record was examined at the beginning and end of the study in both groups. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS version 21 software and the level of significance was set at p < 0.05. Findings The mean postpartum depression score in the intervention group was 5.07(2.77) lower than the control group 5.70(3.63), but there was no significant difference. Conclusion The present study showed that although folic acid consumption in the postpartum period had reduced the mean depression score, there was no statistically significant relationship between folic acid supplement consumption and reducing the score on maternal depression. It is recommended to recommend further studies with larger sample sizes and longer folic acid consumption.