Childhood sexual abuse and hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid axis in postpartum major depression

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between early life events in women with postpartum major depression and concomitant hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid axis disturbances (HPTD), thyroid dysfunction or presence of thyroid antibodies.

Serum total tri-iodothyronine (TT3), free thyroxin (FT4), Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), Thyroperoxidasa (TPOAb) and Thyroglobulin (TGAb) autoantibodies was measured in 103 major postpartum depressive women. HPTD was defined as TSH and/or T4 abnormal, presence of thyroid autoantibodies and alterations of TT3. All women were assessed with a psychiatry structured interview for DSM-IV. Early Trauma Inventory Self Report, sociodemographic, reproductive, psychosocial and psychopathological variables were also assessed.

Sixty three percent of women had suffered childhood trauma, which was childhood sexual abuse in 27.2%. Childhood sexual abuse in postpartum major depression women increased the risk for thyroid dysfunction (OR=5.018, 95%CI=1.128-22.327), presence of thyroid autoantibodies (OR=2.528; 95%CI=1.00-6.39) and HPTD (OR=2.955; 95%CI=1.191-7.32). Moreover, age over 34 (OR=12.394; 95%CI=1.424-107.910) and previous postpartum depression (OR=8.470; 95%CI=1.20-59.43) increased the risk for thyroid dysfunction in postpartum depression.

The study design does not allow us to know the direction of the association and there is a lack of previous assessment of current posttraumatic stress disorder.

According to the present findings, childhood sexual abuse may represent an important risk factor for the presence of thyroid autoantibodies and HPTD in women with postpartum depression.