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Tests and diagnosis
By Mayo Clinic staffDiagnosis of Sheehan's syndrome can be difficult. Your doctor may base the diagnosis in part on your medical history, so it's important to mention any childbirth complications you may have had, no matter how long ago you gave birth. Also, be sure to tell your doctor if you didn't produce breast milk or you failed to start menstruating after delivery — two key signs of Sheehan's syndrome.
If your history and signs and symptoms suggest pituitary insufficiency, you'll have blood tests that check your pituitary hormone levels.
You may also need imaging tests, such as magnetic resonance imaging or computerized tomography, to check the size of your pituitary and to look for other possible reasons for your symptoms, such as a pituitary tumor.
- 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.
