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

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

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Ketamine, a medication used in operating rooms for anesthesia and pain control, may offer another benefit for some new mothers: easing early symptoms of postpartum depression after cesarean delivery (C-section), according to a study presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2026 annual meeting.

A new meta-analysis found that administering ketamine or esketamine (a ketamine derivative) during or immediately after a C-section was associated with a statistically significant reduction in depressive symptoms within the first two weeks after birth, a vulnerable period for women as they recover from surgery and care for their infants.

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

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

Postpartum depression affects about one in five women after childbirth and can have serious consequences for mothers, infants and families. C-sections have been associated with a higher risk of postpartum depressive symptoms , such as sadness, anxiety, irritability, loss of interest and difficulty bonding with the baby, prompting researchers to explore whether medications used during surgery could help reduce symptom burden in the postpartum period.


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