Ketamine at cesarean delivery may ease early depressive symptoms

Clinical takeaway: Ketamine or esketamine given during or immediately after elective cesarean delivery modestly reduced depressive symptoms in the first two postpartum weeks. Whether this early benefit translates into fewer cases of postpartum depression remains unknown.

Recovery from cesarean delivery overlaps with a vulnerable period for maternal mental health. Researchers are exploring whether ketamine’s rapid antidepressant effects could offer benefits beyond its use for anesthesia and pain control.

A meta-analysis presented at ANESTHESIOLOGY 2026 found that ketamine or esketamine administered during or immediately after elective cesarean delivery modestly reduced early postpartum depressive symptoms. The findings suggest a potential additional benefit of perioperative treatment, but do not establish a role in routine depression prevention.

The analysis included six randomized controlled trials involving 1,832 women. Researchers compared patients who received either medication with those who received neither, assessing Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale scores between postoperative days 3 and 14.

Patients receiving ketamine or esketamine had a statistically significant, small-to-moderate reduction in symptom scores. However, improvement on a screening questionnaire does not establish that treatment prevented clinically diagnosed postpartum depression or that benefits persisted beyond the early recovery period.

The press release did not report adverse event results. The best dose and timing, as well as the safety of using these medications to reduce early postpartum depressive symptoms, remain unclear.

“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 lead author Peter Hsin, BS, a medical student at FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. “This is promising, but it is too early to say that ketamine prevents clinically diagnosed postpartum depression or that it should be used routinely.”

Source: American Society of Anesthesiologists. (2026 Oct 17). Ketamine during or after C-sections may ease early postpartum depression symptoms, new study suggests