Thyroiditis: After pregnancy, women can develop Hashimoto's

Created: 09/22/2022, 06:30

By: Natalie Hull Drawbar

Severe exhaustion and listlessness after the birth not only point to possible “baby blues”.

An underactive thyroid could be the reason.

The birth of a child is not only a wonderful experience for most women, but also a great physical strain, which manifests itself in the form of various complaints weeks to months after the birth.

Thyroid inflammation can develop during and after pregnancy due to hormonal changes - almost every twelfth mother is affected, as the

shows.

If the thyroid disease occurs during pregnancy, this can lead to serious damage to the child and a miscarriage.

If a mother notices the typical symptoms after childbirth, she should definitely contact her gynaecologist.

It is important to clarify whether it is a question of the baby blues, postpartum depression or even a thyroid disorder.

Pregnancy: Thyroid levels should also be checked after the birth

Severe exhaustion and listlessness after the birth not only point to possible “baby blues”.

© Kirill Ryzhov/Imago

Especially women who already showed abnormalities in their thyroid values ​​before pregnancy should not necessarily attribute possible warning signs and symptoms to postpartum depression.

A hormone test in the blood can be used to determine whether there is a thyroid disorder.

Thyroid disease after birth can occur in different phases.

This can initially lead to an overactive thyroid gland with nervousness, an accelerated heartbeat and increased sweating, which then turns into an underactive thyroid gland.

Or the latter makes itself felt immediately, whereby affected women suffer from lack of drive, listlessness, inexplicable tears and fears, as reported by the

.

Inflammation of the thyroid: With pregnancy, women can develop Hashimoto's

About 50 percent of affected mothers develop chronic autoimmune inflammation of the thyroid gland with hypothyroidism, so-called postnatal Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

The reason is the hormonal stress situation to which the thyroid gland is exposed during pregnancy.

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Hypothyroidism, Hashimoto's and hyperthyroidism can usually be controlled well with medication.

However, be aware of interactions between the thyroid medication and certain foods, such as coffee.

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Although "postpartum thyroiditis" is not a rare phenomenon, it is often not recognized immediately.

"This is because postpartum depression often manifests itself in a very similar way, or the women are subject to the premature judgment that they cannot cope with the new stressful situation," reports Dr.

Matthias Schmidt, Senior Physician at the Clinic and Polyclinic for Nuclear Medicine at the University Hospital in Cologne, opposite the

.

Inflammation of the thyroid gland can not only occur as a result of pregnancy, menopause can also be a trigger. 

This article only contains general information on the respective health topic and is therefore not intended for self-diagnosis, treatment or medication.

In no way does it replace a visit to the doctor.

Unfortunately, our editors are not allowed to answer individual questions about clinical pictures.