January 19, 2012

Q: I gave birth to a baby girl about six months ago and have been feeling sad and have no energy. I’ve heard of postpartum depression, but could my symptoms be something else?

A: Postpartum depression, also known as PPD, affects as many as one in 10 women. but what many women don’t know is that postpartum thyroid disease is equally as common, and may actually be the underlying cause of the PPD in some women.

Even though some degree of fatigue and mood change is expected by doctors after the arrival of a baby, often both PPD and postpartum thyroid disease are written off as normal for a new mother, and not diagnosed and treated properly.

So, before your doctor diagnoses postpartum depression, you should be evaluated for postpartum thyroid disease. even among women who have never had any thyroid problems prior to pregnancy, thyroid problems after pregnancy occur in 10 percent of all new mothers.

Symptoms of postpartum thyroid problems can mimic postpartum depression, with a few critical differences.

• an underactive thyroid — postpartum hypothyroidism — may worsen the fatigue and exhaustion and may cause a woman to gain weight during the postpartum period, experience cold intolerance, constipation and dry skin.
• an overactive thyroid — postpartum hyperthyroidism — may cause rapid weight loss, rapid heart rate, anxiety, irritability and possible tremors.

For some women, postpartum thyroid problems can be temporary, lasting anywhere from several months to as long as a year. For other women, however, thyroid imbalances after birth are the beginning of a lifelong autoimmune condition, such as Hashimoto’s or Graves’ disease, that requires ongoing monitoring and treatment.

I would advise you to make an appointment with your primary care physician or obstetrician. if your doctor suspects postpartum thyroid disease, you will have various tests, including blood tests, and in some cases, ultrasound or other imaging tests, to make a proper diagnosis.

Yardlie Toussaint-Foster, DO, is certified by the American Osteopathic Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. she specializes in obstetrics and gynecology at PMC Physician Associates in East Stroudsburg, Tobyhanna and Bartonsville.

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