Sheehan’s Syndrome Symptoms
Sheehan’s Syndrome Symptoms
The symptoms of Sheehan’s Syndrome may develop gradually, or increase over time.
Sheehan’s Syndrome is a rare disease and the disease is not always easy to diagnose.
Sheehan’s Syndrome symptoms are frequently misinterpreted and given incorrect labels.
The symptom of extreme fatigue associated with Sheehan’s Syndrome is often categorized with motherhood.
While Sheehan’s Syndrome symptoms usually appear over a period of months or even years some women may have Sheehan Syndrome symptoms immediately.
The symptoms of Sheehan’s Syndrome are caused by the hormone deficiencies of the pituitary gland a.k.a Master Gland.
Sheehan Syndrome Symptoms:
- Difficulty breastfeeding ( lack of breast milk)
- Irregular heartbeat (May feel like a racy heartbeat at times.)
- No menstrual periods (amenorrhea) or infrequent menstruation (oligomenorrhea)
- The loss of pubic or underarm hair
- Slow mental function (forgetfulness and brain fog)
- Weight gain even when dieting
- Difficulty staying warm (this is a result of an underactive thyroid)
- Low blood pressure (May feel light headed and dizzy)
- Fatigue (So exhausted you can barely move out of bed)
- Loss of interest in sexual activity
For some Sheehan Syndrome women, Sheehan’s Syndrome symptoms are nonspecific and the Sheehan Syndrome symptoms are explained as the result of new motherhood duties.
A woman may not realize she has Sheehan’s Syndrome until she is in need of thyroid treatment or experiences adrenal insufficiency.
Depending on the extent of damage to the pituitary gland it is possible for some Sheehan Syndrome women to remain relatively symptom-free until an extreme physical stressor occurs.
The physical stressor that triggers the onset of Sheehan’s Syndrome may be a severe infection or surgery.
If the body goes into extreme stress, the result may be an acute adrenal crisis.
An acute adrenal crisis is a life-threatening condition that occurs when there is not enough cortisol.
The adrenal glands produce the hormone cortisol.
If your pituitary gland is not functioning properly then your pituitary gland may not be able to signal your adrenal glands to release cortisol.
You can click here to see a photo of the adrenal glands.
The following web link may help you better understanding Sheehan’s Syndrome and what causes Sheehan Syndrome symptoms:
You may also find these weblinks about the Pituitary Gland and the Pituitary Gland function insightful:
This link you take you to Sheehan’s Syndrome, My Story.
You can learn about other shortcuts to living with a chronic illness at HypoGalBlog.com.
Resources:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sheehans-syndrome/basics/symptoms/CON-20029870
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000357.htm
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3183525/
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