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Effect of oestradiol on postpartum depression
A Ahokas1, J Kaukoranta, M Aito
1Department of Psychiatry, Helsinki City Hospital, Välskärinkatu 12, FIN-00260 Helsinki, Finland, antti.ahokas@soster.hel.fi
Rationale:
The months following childbirth are a time when women are susceptible to depressive disorders, which may be severe and have long-lasting serious adverse consequences. The illnesses remain often unrecognized and untreated, and can be resistant to conventional psychiatric treatment methods.
Objective:
We report two patients with postpartum depression, who had low serum oestradiol together with psychiatric symptoms, and who responded successfully to treatment with oestradiol.
Methods:
The serum oestradiol concentration was measured at baseline and weekly during treatment with sublingual 17-beta oestradiol for 8 weeks. The treatment effect was evaluated using the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale.
Results:
Both patients had a low pretreatment oestradiol concentration (36-120 and 31 pmol/l). During treatment with oestradiol, the decline of depressive symptoms coincided with a rise in serum oestradiol.
Conclusions:
Oestradiol may be causally related to postpartum depression and have significance in the treatment of this condition.