Cortisol levels in saliva and mood changes in early puerperium

Cortisol levels in saliva were measured in 22 women, daily from the 2nd to 7th day after they had given birth and in 7 control women for 6 consecutive days. During the same period the mothers filled out a mood self-rating scale. The cortisol levels of the mothers were higher than those of the controls and progressively decreased after birth except for the 4th day post-partum when there was an increase. Five mothers had post-partum blues, but their cortisol levels were not different from those of other mothers. However, there was a significant correlation between cortisol level and the mood of mothers who bottle fed their babies.