Dear All:

We know that thyroid malfunction is common in the postpartum, and that it
can have an impact on milk supply.

Here's a new research study:

*Study Finds Link Between Preeclampsia and Reduced Thyroid Function*

Women who experience preeclampsia, a serious complication of pregnancy, may
have an increased risk for reduced thyroid functioning later in life, report
a team of researchers from the National Institutes of Health and other
institutions. The analysis combined two separate studies which each
suggested a link between preeclampsia and reduced thyroid function. In the
first study, women who developed preeclampsia were more likely to have
slightly reduced thyroid functioning during the last weeks of their
pregnancies.

The second study found that women who had preeclampsia during their
pregnancies were more likely to have reduced thyroid functioning more than
20 years after they had given birth, when compared to women who had not had
preeclampsia during pregnancy.

The study authors advised physicians treating women with a history of
preeclampsia to be aware that this group of patients may be at increased
risk for reduced thyroid functioning.

Funding for the research was provided in part by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the
National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, both of the NIH.

"The findings suggest that the possible development of hypothyroidism is a
consideration in patients with a history of preeclampsia," said Susan B.
Shurin, M.D., acting director of the NICHD. "Reduced thyroid functioning is
easy to diagnose when suspected, and inexpensive to treat. Replacement
therapy substantially improves quality of life of affected persons."

The study appears in the November BMJ, the publication formerly known as the
British Medical Journal. Its lead author is Richard J. Levine, M.D., M.P.H.,
a senior investigator in NICHD's Division of Epidemiology, Statistics, and
Prevention Research.
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warmly,

Nikki Lee RN, BSN, Mother of 2, MS, IBCLC, CCE, CIMI
craniosacral therapy practitioner
www.breastfeedingalwaysbest.com

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