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Maternal depressed mood during pregnancy, MTHFR C677T genotype, and vitamin B12 status

Depression occurs in ~15% of pregnant women, and 1/3 are taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) as antidepressants. Disturbances in methyl metabolism have been found in adults with depression. A variant (C677T) in the gene for methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), an enzyme in methyl metabolism, is also associated with depression. However, the role of methyl metabolism and the MTHFR C677T variant in depression during pregnancy is unknown. We investigated if disturbances in methyl metabolism are associated with maternal depressed mood during pregnancy. Pregnant women (n=176) with the MTHFR 677TT genotype had greater depressed mood (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, EPDS; and Symptom Questionnaires, SQ) in the 2nd trimester and 5–6 days postpartum (P<0.05) than women with the MTHFR 677CC genotype. In a subset of women, serum vitamin B12 levels at delivery correlated with infant vitamin B12 levels at birth (P<0.01). Serum vitamin B12 levels were lower in infants and their mothers at birth who had depression compared to infants and their mothers without depression or those with depression and treated with SSRIs (P<0.01). These findings suggest that the MTHFR 677TT genotype and low serum vitamin B12 levels are associated with depressed mood during pregnancy and may contribute to the pathology of depression during pregnancy.