Objective: To investigate whether there is evidence of thyroid dysfunction in women with maternity blues.
Methods: Twenty women with maternity blues and 20 age-matched normal controls were enrolled in our study. The serum levels of 6 kinds of thyroid hormones, cortisol, and prolactin (PRL) of the 2 groups were compared, and obstetric variables were recorded for each subject. In addition, significant variables correlating with the development of maternity blues were determined by stepwise regression analysis.
Results: The serum-free triiodothyronine (FT3) level at 5 days puerperium was lower in the maternity blues group (p < 0.05) than in the control group. In the maternity blues group, the FT3 level at 5 days puerperium was lower than that at 37 weeks of pregnancy and at 1 month puerperium (p < 0.05). The reverse T3 levels and TSH levels at 5 days postpartum were higher in women with maternity blues than among the controls (p < 0.05). The proportion of primiparous women was higher in the maternity blues group (p < 0.01). Stepwise regression analysis revealed that the low FT3 level and primiparity were significantly correlated with the development of maternity blues (R2 = 0.281, p < 0.001).
Conclusion: Thyroid dysfunction might be associated with the development of maternity blues.