Labor and Birth Types And Treatment Of Postpartum ThyroiditisPostpartum Thyroiditis is a disorder that affects 9% of all mothers. This usually manifests three to seven months after giving birth and is usually termed as the "blues" because of the feeling of being "fuzzy headed" and lethargic feeling that affects the mother. While thyroiditis is a common disorder, it is difficult to diagnose as it mimics other symptoms that are usually normal to women who have just gone through pregnancy.
There are two kinds of postpartum thyroiditis.
One is hypothyroidism and the other is hyperthyroidism. For hypothyroidism the symptoms are feeling weak, fatigue, memory impairment, constipation, weight gain, cramps and intolerance to cold. A woman who has a hyperthyroid will likely suffer from trembling, weight loss, anxiousness, weakness, sweating, rapid heartbeat, and lethargy. Thyroiditis though is not an infection but an inflammation of the thyroid glands.
One explanation why postpartum thyroidism happens is because during pregnancy, the activity of the thyroid as well as the immune system is suppressed so that the body does not reject the unborn baby. When the baby is born the immune system normalizes and the thyroid gets a boost in activity and often, it is this renewed activity that sometimes injures it. In many cases, the symptoms of thyroiditis eventually disappear.
During physical examination, the common diagnosis that the physician does for post partum thyroiditis is to palpitate first the thyroid gland. The blood tests will be conducted to classify the thyroiditis based on elevated
thyroglobulin, depressed radioactive iodine intake, and erythrocyte sedimentation rates. Technical really but what it simply does is to determine thyroid activity, classify it, and what to do about it.
The Thyroiditis categories
The Hashimoto thyroiditis is the most common of these. Treatments involve hormone replacement. Hormone replacements correct thyroidism and prevent the thyroid from swelling and getting bigger. In a Hashimoto thyroiditis, 95% of thyroid antibodies are present that serves as a marker to identify the disorder without the need for a biopsy. The antibodies will remain years after the treatment even when the treatment is adequate. Regular hormone replacement is undertaken.
The De Quervain Thyroiditis
This thyroiditis type is less common than the Hashimoto variety. What happens is that the thyroid gland swells rapidly discharging thyroid hormone into the blood resulting to hyperthyroidism. The gland region is tender and painful and the patient will have fever. The symptom resembles infection but is not and so antibiotics are not prescribed. Hormone replacements are usually done for prolonged cases to rest the thyroid, although aspirin and bed rest will reduce the inflammation.
The Silent Thyroiditis
The silent thyroiditis is the least common among the three categories. This type has the resemblance and may manifest symptoms that will resemble like a Hashimoto thyroiditis in part and a De Quervain thyroiditis in part. The inflammation is not usually painful. This type affects young mothers after a pregnancy. The disorder do not usually need treatment and hormone replacements and 80% of the woman completely recovers after a few months. If the tremors and the other symptoms are bothering the patient, beta-blockers are prescribed and the patient is required to take bed rests. Some patients however may become hypothyroid and will require thyroid hormone replacements. For patients with this type of postpartum thyroiditis, surgery is never needed so are antithyroid medication and radioactive iodine.
