If you're exhausted and sluggish, and are gaining weight or unable to lose weight, you may assume you're suffering from standard-issue postpartum depression. But as mentioned previously, postpartum hormone shifts can cause dysfunction of the thyroid gland, also known as postpartum thyroiditis. It's not known exactly how common postpartum thyroiditis is, but increasingly a sluggish or hyperactive thyroid gland is being recognized as a possible contributor to depressive symptoms and fatigue. It's also possible that postpartum thyroiditis is not diagnosed as often as it could be because it's mistaken for garden-variety sleep deprivation or baby blues.

Symptoms and Causes

If the thyroid is producing too many hormones, it can cause anxiety, weight loss, or insomnia. If it's producing too few, it can cause weight gain and fatigue. Often, your thyroid goes through a cycle of overproduction in the first few months postpartum, followed by underproduction after the third month.

Diagnosis and Treatment

If you are experiencing these symptoms and think it could be related to your thyroid, it can't hurt to have a blood test to check your thyroid levels. Other symptoms of postpartum thyroiditis may include dry skin, intolerance to cold, muscle weakness, constipation, and goiter, which is when the thyroid gland in your neck becomes swollen.

Often, postpartum thyroiditis resolves on its own, but thyroid hormone replacement therapy or beta-blocking medication are possible treatments. If anyone in your family suffers from thyroid disease or if you have insulin-dependent diabetes, you are at a higher risk of developing postpartum thyroiditis.