Endocrine study of the maternity blues

The relationship between several psychological variables and adrenocortical function of the blues is examined in a prospective study of 47 Japanese women. Psychological measures, including the psychiatric interview and assessment of the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (SASD), the Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC) and self-rating scales, were administered at the 36th week of pregnancy, on the 3rd or 4th day postnatal and one month after delivery. Twelve subjects (25.5%) were diagnosed as having the blues on the Stein's scale. Women who developed the blues had significantly higher serum bound cortisol than the non-blues group. No significant correlation was obtained between the incidence of the blues and obstetric variables. At one month after delivery, four women (8.5%) were diagnosed as postpartum depression according to the RDC. Our finding that there was no consistent obstetric factor which predisposes women to develop the blues support the hypothesis that hyperadrenocorticalism is important in the genesis of this syndrome.