In recent years, the incidence of postpartum depression (PPD) has increased yearly, which can seriously impact society and families. Severe labor pain is a high‑risk factor for inducing PPD, so the relationship between labor analgesia and postpartum depression has also attracted widespread attention. This paper reviewed the definition, prevalence, and risk factors of PPD and discussed the effects of labor analgesia on PPD and its possible related mechanisms to promote labor analgesia further and provide a new direction for the clinical treatment of PPD.