title: Cortisol levels in saliva and mood changes in early puerperium.
abstract: Cortisol levels in saliva were measured in 22 women, daily from the 2nd to 7th day after they had given birth and in 7 control women for 6 consecutive days. During the same period the mothers filled out a mood self-rating scale. The cortisol levels of the mothers were higher than those of the controls and progressively decreased after birth except for the 4th day post-partum when there was an increase. Five mothers had post-partum blues, but their cortisol levels were not different from those of other mothers. However, there was a significant correlation between cortisol level and the mood of mothers who bottle fed their babies.
authors: Laboratoire de Psychophysiologie, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Besançon, France.
authors: F
authors: F
authors: Bonnin
mesh_terms: D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology*; D001942:Breast Feeding; D003863:Depression / Q000097:blood / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood*; D010555:Personality Inventory; D049590:Postpartum Period / Q000097:blood*; D011644:Puerperal Disorders / Q000097:blood / Q000523:psychology; D012016:Reference Values; D012463:Saliva / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D006854:Hydrocortisone