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Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staffIn most cases, the signs and symptoms of Sheehan's syndrome appear slowly, after a period of months or even years. But sometimes — such as in a breast-feeding mother — problems may appear right away.
Signs and symptoms of Sheehan's syndrome include:
- Slowed mental function, weight gain and difficulty staying warm, as a result of an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism)
- Difficulty breast-feeding or an inability to breast-feed
- No menstrual periods (amenorrhea) or infrequent menstruation (oligomenorrhea)
- Loss of pubic or underarm hair
- Low blood pressure
- Fatigue
- Weight loss
For many women, the symptoms of Sheehan's syndrome are nonspecific and often attributed to other things. Fatigue, for instance, goes hand in hand with being a new mother. You might not realize that you have Sheehan's syndrome until you need treatment for thyroid or adrenal insufficiency.
It's also possible to remain symptom-free with Sheehan's syndrome. Some women unknowingly live for years with pituitary insufficiency, then go into adrenal crisis triggered by extreme physical stressors, such as severe infection or surgery.
- Feinberg EC, et al. The incidence of Sheehan's syndrome after obstetric hemorrhage. Fertility and Sterility. 2005;84(4):975-979.
- Soares DV, et al. Clinical, laboratory and therapeutics aspects of Sheehan's syndrome. Arquivos Brasileiros de Endocrinologia e Metabologia. 2008;52(5):872-878.
- Dokmetas HS, et al. Characteristic features of 20 patients with Sheehan's syndrome. Gynecological Endocrinology: The Official Journal of the International Society of Gynecological Endocrinology. 2006;22(5):279-283.
- Schrager S, et al. Sheehan syndrome: A rare complication of postpartum hemorrhage. The Journal of the American Board of Family Practice. 2001;14(5):389-391.
- Sert M, et al. Clinical report of 28 Patients with Sheehan's syndrome. Endocrine Journal. 2003;50(3):297-301.
- Pham PC, et al. Sodium and water disturbances in patients with
- Sheehan's syndrome. American Journal of Kidney Diseases. 2001;38(3):E14.
- Kelestimur F, et al. Sheehan's syndrome: Baseline characteristics and effect of 2 years of growth hormone replacement therapy in 91 patients in KIMS-Pfizer International Metabolic Database. European Journal of Endocrinology. 2005;152(4):581-587.
- The Pituitary Gland. In: Ganong WF. Review of Medical Physiology. 22nd edition. The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc.; 2005. http://www.accessmedicine.com/resourceTOC.aspx?resourceID=11. Accessed Nov. 28, 2008.
