The article is misleading - it states that once on thyroid medication, you will be on it for life - however, the information presented on post partum thyroiditis at the American Thyroid website contraindicates the authors claims. If you have post partum thyroiditis, it is recommended that your doctor attempt to wean you off of it within 12-18 months post delivery, as post partum thyroiditis often corrects itself. You would not need additional synthetic hormone if your body has now returned to normal. The authors did do a good job trying to get the word out about the importance of paying attention to your thyroid, and that is very important, as it's often overlooked as the cause of many health problems.
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Many women also first experience thyroid problems after a pregnancy, a condition called postpartum thyroiditis that occurs in 5 to 10 percent of women. Although the exact cause isn't known, doctors believe that it is an immune disorder very similar to Hashimoto's thyroiditis. "During pregnancy, the immune system is somewhat suppressed so that a woman won't reject this foreign body within her," Ladenson says. "But after delivery, the immune system has a resurgence of vigilance." This can also result in hyperthyroidism. Both are difficult to detect at this time in a woman's life because the symptoms of either one--insomnia, anxiety, fatigue--could also be the result of new motherhood. Sometimes, the thyroid problems disappear within a year of giving birth, but other women go on to have long-term disease.
The causes of thyroid disease may still be a mystery, but the treatment is relatively simple and inexpensive. If you don't have enough thyroid hormone, your doctor will prescribe synthetic thyroxine. It can take several months to get the correct dose because patients usually start at a low dose and work up to a higher one if it's needed. Once you're on thyroid hormone, you have to take it the rest of your life. Ladenson cautions that some things can interfere with the absorption of thyroid hormone, particularly calcium and iron. If you're taking those supplements, make sure that you separate them from the thyroxine by four hours. Soy can also be a problem, so make sure you don't use soy milk in your coffee or cereal with a few hours of taking the pill.
There is no single treatment for people with hyperthyroidism; the therapy depends on your age, the type of hyperthyroidism that you have and your overall health. In some cases, anti-thyroid drugs or radioactive iodone are used to destroy the cells that are making too much hormone. Surgery to remove the thyroid is another option.
Finally, a note about thyroid cancer. It is rare compared to other cancers--it's estimated that there will be about 37,000 new cases this year--but, again, women are more likely than men to be affected. With treatment, the prognosis is excellent; 95 percent of patients survive without a recurrence. Your doctor should feel your thyroid for nodules during a check-up and then can determine whether you need further tests. For more information about thyroid cancer, see the Web site of the Thyroid Cancer Survivors Association.
For more information about all forms of thyroid disease, check out the patients' resources section of the Web site of the American Thyroid Association.
© 2008
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