Vicki

I recently looked up some info on Sheehan's.  (Also called postpartun
pituitary necrosis syndrome, Reye's Syndrome, postpartun hypopituitarism.)

Sheehan's syndrome is a condition that may occur in a woman who has a
postpartum haemorrhage that is severe enough to decrease the blood flow to
the pituitary gland resulting in an infarction and necrosis or other
vascular injury to the pituitary gland.
The pituitary gland is a highly vascular organ.  During pregnancy the
pituitary becomes enlarged, but its blood supply becomes diminished during
childbirth and it is particularly susceptible to thrombosis.

Sheehan's syndrome is the only commonly recognised endocrine disorder
associated with lactation failure.  Hypoprolactinaemia results following
necrosis of the pituitary stalk, causing mammary involution and failure of
lactation.  It occurs in 0.01% to 0.02% of postpartum women.  Symptoms
include: initial weight gain followed by weight loss postpartum, loss of
pubic and axillary hair, intolerance to cold, hypotension, breast and
vaginal tissue atrophy.  A key clinical sign of Sheehan's syndrome is the
failure to lactate following birth.

Spontaneous recovery can occur depending on the degree of infarction and
regeneration.  This condition can be life-threatening if not treated because
of the lack of thyroid and adrenal hormones, which allow the body to react
to stress or infections.



Jean Ridler  RN  RM  IBCLC

Cape Town

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