TY - JOUR
T1 - Postpartum thyroid measures and depressive symptomology
T2 - A pilot study
AU - Breese McCoy, Sarah J.
AU - Beal, J. Martin
AU - Payton, Mark E.
AU - Stewart, Audra L.
AU - DeMers, Ariana M.
AU - Watson, Gary H.
PY - 2008/9
Y1 - 2008/9
N2 - Context: While correlations have been demonstrated between postpartum depression and psychosocial and circumstantial risk factors, some evidence exists for a similar relationship between postpartum depression and thyroid measures. Objective: To search at 4 weeks postpartum for correlations of numerical scores on a postnatal depression screening tool and thyroid measures. Methods: Subjects took the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) prenatally and at 4 weeks postpartum. Participants were also given blood tests for thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free thyroxine4, thyroid peroxidase, and thyroglobulin at the same testing intervals. Results: Fifty-one subjects aged 18 years or older were recruited. Subjects with higher serum TSH at 4 weeks post-partum tended to have higher EPDS scores. Similarly, the 7 subjects (13.7%) with positive postnatal thyroid antibody tests were more likely than their counterparts to have higher EPDS scores. Conclusions: Presence of thyroid autoantibodies or higher TSH levels during the postpartum period may be related to depressive symptoms or dysphoric mood, even when clinical depression is not present. Either or both of these associations may contribute, along with other physiologic and psychosocial risk factors, to postpartum depression. (ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT00565032).
AB - Context: While correlations have been demonstrated between postpartum depression and psychosocial and circumstantial risk factors, some evidence exists for a similar relationship between postpartum depression and thyroid measures. Objective: To search at 4 weeks postpartum for correlations of numerical scores on a postnatal depression screening tool and thyroid measures. Methods: Subjects took the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) prenatally and at 4 weeks postpartum. Participants were also given blood tests for thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free thyroxine4, thyroid peroxidase, and thyroglobulin at the same testing intervals. Results: Fifty-one subjects aged 18 years or older were recruited. Subjects with higher serum TSH at 4 weeks post-partum tended to have higher EPDS scores. Similarly, the 7 subjects (13.7%) with positive postnatal thyroid antibody tests were more likely than their counterparts to have higher EPDS scores. Conclusions: Presence of thyroid autoantibodies or higher TSH levels during the postpartum period may be related to depressive symptoms or dysphoric mood, even when clinical depression is not present. Either or both of these associations may contribute, along with other physiologic and psychosocial risk factors, to postpartum depression. (ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT00565032).
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M3 - Article
C2 - 18806079
AN - SCOPUS:52249111367
SN - 0098-6151
VL - 108
SP - 503
EP - 507
JO - Journal of the American Osteopathic Association
JF - Journal of the American Osteopathic Association
IS - 9
ER -