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Question by ☀sunshine❀daydream☮:
hypothyroidism? please help. .?
ok so i have been STRUGGLING to loose my pregnancy weight, my son is 6 months old and i breast fed him fully for 4 months then slowly went down for some complications on his end.. poor guy wasnt gaining weight.

so, i will be honest and state i weighed about 125-130 after i lost 15 lbs in my first trimester, then delivered weighing 170 i am 5’5 and normally weigh around 145-50, however after i delivered i went on a diet, slicing my portions smaller, eating the ideal foods i could ect. i live on the 2nd floor and make sure to park farther away from stores and such. . i always carry the carseat, and stay active during daily activities. . anyways, i seem to be gaining weight still at an alarming rate. i now am topping out the scale at 200lbs. i never imagined i would get this big, since i have always had an average metabloism and a slightly thicker build, my muscles are very massive but i didnt have much FAT on top of them.. i have been diagnosed with depression, and was prescribed zoloft, i have since stopped taking it due to emotional side effects… my ob felt my neck for about half a second and filled out the script. . i have looked at the symptoms on many sites and i have all of them,
•Fatigue, i sleep around 12-14 hours a day. . and am constantly ready to fall asleep
•Depression, have been diagnosed.
•Modest weight gain..lol, beyond modest..
•Cold intolerance, i used to love 65′, now i freeze..i live in ny where 65 is a blessing most days
•Excessive sleepiness..stated above
•Dry, coarse hair, i brushed it off as if it were my shampoo change, or horomones
•Constipation, sometimes. . more than not
•Dry skin, especially on nose and near hairline
•Muscle cramps, i have had these since i was very young
•Increased cholesterol levels, need this checked
•Decreased concentration, i was told that that was a part of depression
•Vague aches and pains, i have always had what i thought were growing pains that went from either hip-knee-ankle (reverse) knuckles, wrist, elbow (reverse)

i have a check up in a month and a half but i dont know if i should call and go in earlier or not.. please help, what do you think.


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Answer by july
Hypothyroidism after pregnancy and childbirth is common.

About 1 in 20 women who have a child will then develop hypothyroidism, and it usually starts manifesting between 4 months to 1 year after the child is born. I have read that this results from inflammation of the thyroid gland and is called postpartum thyroiditis (scroll down to “Thyroid Problems After Pregnancy” in this article http://www.endocrineweb.com/pregnancy.html).

Although it’s supposed to resolve (go away) on its own, hypothyroidism can be as hazardous as hyperthyroidism. Please see your physician for a TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) blood level and possibly a thyroid profile. Some physicians like to do what is called a “free T3″ or “free T4″) instead of the profile, and that is fine too.

If your TSH level is high, it means you are hypo (low) thyroidic. Your body will produce too much TSH in an effort to bump up your thyroid levels.

Sometimes depressive symptoms will decrease if you are hypothyroidic and your thyroid condition is treated with thyroid hormone.

I developed hypothyroidism after the birth of my child (18 years ago, but I still remember it) and now my daughter has had a baby and has postpartum thyroiditis herself.

Regarding the muscle cramps, ask your physician if an electrolyte panel (sodium, potassium, chloride, bicarbonate) is indicated. Or ask for a Basic Metabolic Panel, which will include electrolytes http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/bmp/glance.html. There is obviously something happening here, and it needs to be addressed.

I would also like to add: Please read about Hashimoto’s thyroiditis http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hashimotos-disease/DS00567 and ask your physician about it as well. You seem to have many of the signs/symptoms for this.

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