Thyroid function and postpartum mood disturbances in Greek women.
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.
Lambrinoudaki
Irene
I
2nd Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Athens, Aretaieion Hospital, 27, Themistokleous Street, Dionysos GR-14578, Athens, Greece. ilambrinoudaki@hotmail.com
Rizos
Demetrios
D
Armeni
Eleni
E
Pliatsika
Paraskevi
P
Leonardou
Angeliki
A
Sygelou
Angeliki
A
Argeitis
John
J
Spentzou
Georgia
G
Hasiakos
Dimitrios
D
Zervas
Ioannis
I
Papadias
Constantinos
C
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
D013963:Thyroid Hormones