Postpartum Thyroiditis

"I knew something was not right with me [approximately four months after delivery]," says Lisa McShane of Annapolis, Md. "[I] went to the doctor with some depression, anxiety, heart palpitations and just generally feeling uncomfortable all the time. I figured a lot of this was due to just having a baby and would pass with time."

Instead of passing, though, McShane's symptoms continued. "The heart palpitations were the scariest part for me because ... I would suddenly feel a fluttering in my chest and then a little gasp as I tried to catch my breath," she says.

In addition, McShane experienced sadness and anxiety, and, after gaining nearly 75 pounds during pregnancy and developing high blood pressure, her body experienced a rapid drop in weight. "I felt that maybe it was just too many extreme changes for my body to handle in such a short amount of time," she says.

What McShane was really experiencing was postpartum thyroiditis. Postpartum thyroiditis (PPT) is defined as an inflammation of the thyroid gland following pregnancy and delivery (but can also occur after a miscarriage or abortion).

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