Mostly unrecognized thyroiditis after birth

Almost one in twelve mother develops thyroiditis after delivery. The reason is the hormonal stress situation that the maternal thyroid is exposed to during pregnancy. Often the inflammation is misjudged.

The disease is characterized by tiredness, insomnia, irritability, nervousness and depressed mood. Prof. Dr. med. Matthias Schmidt from the Professional Association of German Nuclear Medicine Physicians e. V (BDN) explains, "This is often quickly dismissed and misinterpreted as baby blues." Postpartum thyroiditis develops over a period of about four to 24 weeks after delivery. "The disease does not cause any pain, which is why it is called 'silent' thyroiditis," explains BDN expert Schmidt. Particularly at risk are women who have been diagnosed with elevated thyroid antibodies - so-called TPO antibodies - before or during pregnancy, women with a tendency to Hashimoto or Graves' disease and diabetic women.

Thyroiditis after birth often goes unnoticed for a long time. (Image: Andrey Popov / fotolia.com)

Although "puerperal thyroiditis" is a relatively common phenomenon, it is often misjudged. "This is because a childbed depression often sounds very similar or women are subject to the rash judgment that they can not cope with the new stress situation," says Schmidt. A blood test provides information on whether thyroiditis is present after delivery.

Almost one in twelve mother develops thyroiditis a few weeks after delivery. The reason for postpartum thyroiditis, as the term goes, is the hormonal stress situation that the maternal thyroid is exposed to during pregnancy. The disease is characterized by tiredness, insomnia, irritability, nervousness and depressed mood. "This is often quickly dismissed and misinterpreted as a baby blues," explains Professor. med. Matthias Schmidt from the Professional Association of German Nuclear Medicine Physicians e. V (BDN). A blood test clarifies whether thyroiditis is present after birth.

Postpartum thyroiditis develops over a period of about four to 24 weeks after delivery. "The disease makes no pain, which is why it is called 'silent' thyroiditis," explains BDN expert Schmidt, Senior Physician at the Department of Nuclear Medicine at the University Hospital Cologne. Particularly at risk are women who have been diagnosed with elevated thyroid antibodies - so-called TPO antibodies - before or during pregnancy, women with a tendency to Hashimoto or Graves' disease and diabetic women. "With them, it can after pregnancy, which is a kind of stress test for the maternal thyroid gland, come to a hormonal derailment," said the nuclear medicine.

Often the disease runs in different phases. It initially comes to a hyperthyroidism with tremor, nervousness, accelerated heart rate and increased sweating. "For severely severe symptoms, the temporary intake of beta-blockers helps, a few weeks are usually sufficient," says Schmidt. This is often followed by a phase of hypothyroidism - in this time, the young mothers suffer mainly from fatigue and lack of drive. "But it can only be either over- or under-function set," said Schmidt. Half of the women normalize themselves after one year of their own accord. "If hypofunction persists, levothyroxine, a proven tablet-derived drug, is available to treat hypothyroidism," says Schmidt.

Although "puerperal thyroiditis" is a relatively common phenomenon, it is often misjudged. "This is because a childbed depression often sounds very similar or women are subject to the rash judgment that they can not cope with the new stress situation," says Schmidt. Therefore, the BDN expert advises affected women to think in terms of such complaints just to a postpartum thyroiditis. "The best approach to the treating gynecologist, the family doctor or the midwife," says Schmidt. "A blood test provides information on whether thyroiditis is present after delivery". (PM)