Postpartum Thyroiditis
April 5, 2009 by Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor
Filed under health of the mother
Up to 10% of women experience thyroid problems after giving birth. Postpartum thyroiditis causes fluctuating thyroid hormone levels, first with a period of hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid with excess thyroid hormone) which might then resolve back to normal or dip into a period of hypothyroidism (low thyroid function). Note that this is different from postpartum Graves’ Disease, which is autoimmune hyperthyroidism in which antibodies attack the thyroid and cause it to overproduce thyroid hormone.
