title: Thyroid function and postpartum mood disturbances in Greek women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Postpartum mood disturbances are very common with postpartum blues being as high as 44.5% among Greek women. This study aimed to investigate whether thyroid function within the normal range affects the incidence of postpartum mood disturbances.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a cross-sectional study in the maternity ward of Aretaieion Hospital, 57 Greek women were evaluated for postpartum mood swings by the Maternity Blues Questionnaire and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale on the first and sixth week postpartum. Serum Free T4, Free T3 and TSH concentrations as well as thyroglobulin and thyroid peroxidase antibodies were measured on admission for delivery and daily until the fourth postpartum day. We examined the association between hormone and antibody levels, and scores in the two scales evaluating postpartum mood disturbances.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Prepartum serum FT3 and FT4 correlated negatively with blues scores in the first week postpartum (blues on day 4: with FT3, rho=-0.44, p < or = 0.01; with FT4 rho=-0.36, p < or = 0.01). Women with lower FT3 and FT4 levels belonged to the high scoring group (high scoring group: FT3=1.22 pg/ml, FT4=0.66 ng/dl; low scoring group: FT3=1.64 pg/ml, FT4=0.73 ng/dl). Serum FT3 showed a negative independent correlation with postpartum blues scores in the first postpartum days. No association was found between thyroid antibody levels and mood scores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings indicate an association between the occurrence of postpartum mood disorders and antenatal thyroid function. Within normal limits, lower levels of serum FT3 and FT4 are associated with increased incidence of mood disturbances in the first postpartum week.
authors.affiliation: 2nd Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Athens, Aretaieion Hospital, 27, Themistokleous Street, Dionysos GR-14578, Athens, Greece. ilambrinoudaki@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lambrinoudaki
authors.forename: Demetrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rizos
authors.forename: Eleni
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Armeni
authors.forename: Paraskevi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pliatsika
authors.forename: Angeliki
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Leonardou
authors.forename: Angeliki
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sygelou
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Argeitis
authors.forename: Georgia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Spentzou
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hasiakos
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Zervas
authors.forename: Constantinos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Papadias
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D019052:Depression, Postpartum / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D010555:Personality Inventory; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013960:Thyroid Function Tests; D013963:Thyroid Hormones / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D013963:Thyroid Hormones