Thyroid Awareness Month: 1998

Baby Blues	Sunset Blues	Moody Blues	Midnight Blues
Common Symptoms	The Neck Check	Press Release	Background Information

Thyroid Disease and Postpartum Depression : BABY BLUES

Words can't describe the joy Christine felt after delivering Julie, her first child. She finally understood what her mother meant when she said having a child "makes you whole."

She was completely filled with happiness during those first few weeks at home. Christine loved being a mother and had a permanent smile on her face when her friends would come to visit. Then, about a month after she returned home, Christine's indescribable joy turned into indescribable sadness. Was this postpartum depression?

She had heard some of her friends talk about postpartum depression, and she knew it could happen. But she was not aware that it could be so intense. Along with the depression, she experienced fatigue, mood swings, loss of appetite and sleeplessness.

How could something as wonderful as having her first child make her feel so terrible? What had she done wrong to make herself feel this way?

To be sure that women with postpartum blues don't have thyroid disease, they are advised to conduct a "Thyroid Neck Check," performed with a glass of water and a mirror.

Are bad days, sleepless nights, feelings of worthlessness and "the blues", just part of being a new mother? Many women like Christine think so, and continue to suffer in silence. Women who become depressed are commonly diagnosed with postpartum depression. More often than not, however, new mothers fail to report negative feelings to their doctor.

In reality, many new mothers who still feel sad several months after the baby is born may be suffering from a common but little-diagnosed thyroid disease, known as postpartum thyroiditis (specifically chronic thyroiditis, or an inflamed thyroid gland). This condition usually occurs during the first few weeks after the baby has been born, and can continue for up to a year. If a woman has this condition, her thyroid gland may become abnormally enlarged and she may suffer from depression.

A woman suffering from thyroiditis may experience a roller-coaster of emotions directly correlated with the changing thyroid hormone levels in her body. At first, the thyroid gland may release hormones into the bloodstream that are stored in the thyroid gland, causing hyperthyroidism (an overactive thyroid gland). During this time, women may suffer from an increased heart rate, insomnia, anxiety or depression.

A few months later, the thyroid hormone level in the blood will either return to normal or become low (an underactive thyroid gland). This occurs because the thyroid gland is unable to release enough thyroid hormone. This may cause women to feel weak, tired, cold, and forgetful. It may also cause them to lose interest in life and become depressed. Hypothyroidism may last up to one year until the thyroid gland completely recovers. For most women, thyroid hormone levels will eventually return to normal. However, women who have undiagnosed thyroid disease and depression during this time may have more difficulty recovering, than if they were treated with thyroid replacement hormone. Additionally, up to 25 percent of women will not regain a normal functioning thyroid gland.

Not every woman who is feeling "the blues" after pregnancy will be found to have thyroid disease as the cause of her depression-like symptoms. To be sure, women are advised to conduct a Thyroid Neck Check, a simple, self-examination that can be performed with a glass of water and a mirror. This test helps to identify an enlarged thyroid gland which is an indication of underlying thyroid disease.

A woman who discovers an enlarged thyroid gland after performing the Neck Check should consult her physician. Most likely, her physician will conduct a TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) test to rule out the possibility of thyroid disease. Simple medication for thyroid disease can help women change their tune from "Lady Sings The Blues" to "Happy Days Are Here Again."

Christine eventually talked with her doctor about the feelings she was experiencing. Her doctor conducted a TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) test and discovered that Christine was suffering from hypothyroidism, or an underactive thyroid gland. Christine began taking a thyroid medication for her condition, and in a few weeks was "amazed" at how much better she felt.

One year later, Christine is leading a normal, active life. That is, as normal as possible with one-year-old Julie keeping her busy most of the day.

Previous Thyroid Awareness Month Campaigns

• Thyroid Awareness Month 2007 – How's Your Thyroid - Who needs to know?
• Thyroid Awareness Month 2006 – A Thyroid Imbalance? Target Your Numbers
• Thyroid Awareness Month 2005 – A Healthy Thyroid: You Make The Difference
• Thyroid Awareness Month 2004 – Take Control of Your Health: Keep Your Thyroid in Balance
• Thyroid Awareness Month 2003 – Thyroid Undercover – Hiding in Plain Sight
• Thyroid Awareness Month 2002 – The Neck’s Generation
• Thyroid Awareness Month 2001 – The Neck’s Time is Now – Think Thyroid
• Thyroid Awareness Month 2000 – Take Cholesterol by the Neck
• Thyroid Awareness Month 1999 – Thyroid: The Missing T in HRT
• Thyroid Awareness Month 1998 – When the Blues Hit
• Thyroid Awareness Month 1997 – 1995 – Not available on AACE Online

Thyroid Awareness Month is supported through an unrestricted grant from Abbott Laboratories.