Postpartum Thyroiditis

Postpartum thyroiditis (PT) is the most frequent thyroid dysfunction, excluding Graves’ disease (GD), during the first postpartum year in euthyroid women, with a prevalence of 5–10%, depending on the sociodemographic conditions. The most important risk factor for this disease is type 1 diabetes and its association with immunological illnesses such as Sjögren’s syndrome, systemic lupus erythematosus, chronic viral hepatitis, systemic sclerosis, previous thyroid disease as well as thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb) or antithyroglobulin antibodies (TgAb) presence. If there is clinical suspicion of PT, TPOAb should be performed because of its adequate sensitivity profile for this disease. In classic PT, 20% of women will develop a phase of thyrotoxicosis, followed by hypothyroidism that recovers to an euthyroid state in 50% of cases. Around 20% of patients will have permanent hypothyroidism 12 months after the onset. PT is treated with Levothyroxine. Making a prompt diagnosis will avoid using other interventions that affect the patient and her son during the critical stage of lactation.