Introduction: Depression is the most frequently seen mental disease in the pregnancy period. The first trimester of pregnancy is important in terms of its effects on both the fetus and on the mother. This study has researched the prevalence of depression in women in the first trimester of their pregnancies in Erzurum, which is a large province in the Eastern region of Turkey.

Method: The study participants were 463 pregnant women who were in the first trimester of their pregnancy. Screening was primarily carried out using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), and Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders–Fourth Edition (DSM-IV)–Clinical Version (SCID-I) was applied to those participants with a score of 12 points and higher. To assess the risk factors, a sociodemographic data form was completed by the authors.

Results: The total depressive disorder rate was 16.8% in women in the first trimester of their pregnancies (12.3% major depressive disorder, 1.5% double depression, 2.6% minor depressive disorder and 0.4% dysthymia). A history of mental disease, mental disease suffered during a previous pregnancy, exposure to violence in the present pregnancy, an unplanned pregnancy and spouse’s unemployment were predictors for depressive disorders.

Conclusion: It is important to identify the risk groups for the early recognition of depression in pregnancy. Developing depression screening programs can be useful for early diagnosis and therapy.