Thyroid Disorder or Postpartum Depression?

Overactive, Underactive, and Postpartum

Every pregnant woman receives a TSH test at the beginning of her pregnancy. A person with normal TSH levels has a properly functioning thyroid -- therefore her body is in balance and her metabolic systems function properly. A person with low TSH levels often has hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid). In this instance, the gland is producing too much of the hormone.

Symptoms of hyperthyroidism include racing thoughts, impatience, a "jittery" feeling, weight loss, and lack of appetite. Conversely, in hypothyroidism (underactive gland), the body does not produce enough of the hormone, and the TSH level is elevated as it struggles to encourage the gland to produce more. All of the symptoms I experienced can be linked to my underactive thyroid. Weight gain, anxiety and/or depression, fatigue, dry skin, digestive disorders and low sex-drive are common, and some women experience menstrual and fertility problems, as well as fibrocystic breasts.

My TSH was at the high end of the normal range when I was tested in my first trimester. Perhaps my pregnancy tipped the scales. Researchers are discovering that many cases of alleged postpartum depression might be misdiagnosed thyroid problems. In my case, the underactive gland is a permanent condition, but many women develop postpartum thyroiditis, a temporary condition. An estimated eight to ten percent of all women develop this condition after giving birth. Typically, the new mother experiences an overactive condition for six weeks to three months postpartum, and then an underactive gland between three and nine months after delivery. In most instances the thyroid regulates itself by the end of the first year after giving birth, but in other instances the postpartum thyroiditis results in a permanently underactive gland.

Treatment and Pregnancy