---
title: What causes postpartum blues (mood changes in the week after giving birth)?
description: A woman's depression history, ability to adjust socially, stressful life events, and estrogen levels after birth all predicted postpartum blues. This suggests
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/prospective-study-of-postpartum-blues-biologic-and-psychosocial-factors-1991/
---

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- What causes postpartum blues (mood changes in the week after giving birth)?

Cohort study, 1991

# What causes postpartum blues (mood changes in the week after giving birth)?

A woman's depression history, ability to adjust socially, stressful life events, and estrogen levels after birth all predicted postpartum blues. This suggests postpartum blues is linked to mood disorders, not just hormone changes.

 Moderate study design

182 pregnant women followed from second trimester to 9 weeks postpartum

## What they did

182 pregnant women were followed from the second trimester through 9 weeks after delivery. During pregnancy, researchers assessed depression history, stress, and social adjustment. They measured hormone levels (progesterone, prolactin, estradiol, estriol, and cortisol) several times during late pregnancy and after birth. After delivery, they assessed postpartum blues.

## What they found

Personal and family history of depression, social adjustment, stressful life events, and levels of free and total estriol all predicted postpartum blues.

## What it means for you

Postpartum blues involves both psychological factors (depression history, stress, social adjustment) and specific hormone changes (estrogen levels). The study was large and tracked women over time, making it fairly strong evidence. However, hormone levels were only measured at certain timepoints, which limits what we know about hormone patterns.

182

women followed

second trimester

start of follow-up

week 9

end of postpartum follow-up

## About the study

Original title Prospective study of postpartum blues. Biologic and psychosocial factors Authors O'Hara MW, Schlechte JA, Lewis DA et al. Journal Archives of general psychiatry Year 1991 Study design Cohort study Participants 182 What was tested None (prospective observational study) Read the paper [doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.1991.01810330025004](https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.1991.01810330025004)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Stress](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-stress/)[Major depressive disorder](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-major-depression/)[Pregnancy and postpartum](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-postpartum/)

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