New Moms: Overwhelmed by Fatigue or Emotion?—Get Your Thyroid Checked
It’s important for a new mother to determine if she has postpartum thyroiditis because it is easily passed off as normal fatigue or the “baby blues” after delivery. The condition is easily detected by simple blood tests and can be treated with temporary thyroid hormone replacement therapy or other medications depending on the symptoms.
Women who have had one episode of postpartum thyroiditis need to know that they have an increased a risk of developing a future thyroid problem during times of stress, following another pregnancy or during perimenopause/menopause. Researchers at Oklahoma State University recently found that the hormone imbalances of postpartum thyroiditis may also have a direct association with postpartum depression of new mothers.
The authors acknowledge their results stem from a small pilot study, but they suggest that further investigation is warranted. “Postpartum depression can have consequences for neonates—such as alienation, indifference, detachment with lack of love, and resentment—awareness and treatment of its various etiologies, including thyroid dysfunction, are worthwhile endeavors for future research,” they conclude.
Article Links:
Shoman, M. 2009.
