If mom has a severe postpartum hemorrhage, her pituitary gland (in brain) is
affected by lack of blood supply and/or thrombotic infarction and necrosis
causing Sheehan's Syndrome. Lawrence says it occurs in 0.01% to 0.02 % of
pp women. She gives an excellent description of what happens.
Anterior Pituitary produces the hormone prolactin, which tells the breast to
make milk and the Posterior Pituitary produces oxytocin which tells the
breast to release milk.
Sheehan's may be temporary as some of the Lactnetters have written about or
it may be so severe that milk production simply does not happen at all. It
depends on the degree of damage to the pituitary. The mother will also have
other problems post hemorrhage as described by others.
Actually I suppose the cases described as "temporary" need another name
because true Sheehans means no milk production period. Pat in SNJ
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