If your primary care doctor suspects Sheehan's syndrome, you'll likely be referred to an endocrinologist, a doctor who specializes in hormonal disorders. To help prepare for your appointment:
- Be aware of any pre-appointment restrictions. When you make your appointment, be sure to ask if there's anything you need to do to prepare for common diagnostic tests.
- Write down all symptoms and changes you're experiencing, even if they seem unrelated to each other.
- Make a list of your key medical information, including recent surgical procedures, the names of all medications you're taking and any other conditions for which you've been treated. Bring medical records from any previous pregnancies, especially those on labor and delivery.
- Take a family member or friend, if possible. Sometimes it can be difficult to remember all of the information you learn during an appointment. Someone who accompanies you may remember something that you missed or forgot.
- Write down questions to ask your doctor.
Preparing a list of questions for your doctor will help you make the most of your time together. For Sheehan's syndrome, some basic questions to ask your doctor include:
- What's the most likely cause of my symptoms?
- What kinds of tests do I need?
- Is Sheehan's syndrome temporary, or will I always have it?
- Will I be able to have another child?
- What treatments are available, and what do you recommend for me?
- I have other health conditions. How can I best manage these conditions together?
- Are there any dietary or activity restrictions I need to follow?
- Is there a generic alternative to the medicine you're prescribing?
- Do you have any brochures I can take home with me? What websites do you recommend?
What to expect from your doctor
Your doctor is likely to ask you a number of questions, including:
Jan. 02, 2014
- Did you bleed heavily after your delivery?
- Did you have any other complications during childbirth?
- When did you begin experiencing symptoms?
- Do you have symptoms all the time, or do they come and go?
- How severe are your symptoms?
- What, if anything, seems to improve your symptoms?
- Does anything seem to make your symptoms worse?
- DeCherney AH, et al. Current Diagnosis & Treatment Obstetrics & Gynecology. 11th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2013. http://www.accessmedicine.com/resourceTOC.aspx?resourceID=788. Accessed Oct. 1, 2013.
- Kristjansdottir HL, et al. Sheehan's syndrome in modern times: A nationwide retrospective study in Iceland. European Journal of Endocrinology. 2011;164:348.
- Jain D. A ray of hope for a woman with Sheehan's syndrome. BMJ Case Reports. 2013;Feb.4:1.
- Tessnow AH, et al. The changing face of Sheehan's syndrome. The American Journal of the Medical Sciences. 2010;340:402.
- Generalized hypopituitarism. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Health Care Professionals. http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/endocrine_and_metabolic_disorders/pituitary_disorders/generalized_hypopituitarism.html. Accessed Oct. 1, 2013.
- Nieman LK. Clinical manifestations of adrenal insufficiency in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home. Accessed Oct. 1, 2013.
- Pituitary disorders overview. The Hormone Foundation. http://www.hormone.org/Pituitary/overview.cfm . Accessed Oct. 1, 2013.
- Lockwood CJ. Overview of postpartum hemorrhage. http://www.uptodate.com/home. Accessed Oct. 1, 2013.
- Snyder PJ. Treatment of hypopituitarism. http://www.uptodate.com/home. Accessed Oct. 1, 2013.
- Nippoldt TB (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Oct.14, 2013.
- Warren MP. Appropriate use of estrogen replacement therapy in adolescents and young adults with Turner syndrome and hypopituitarism in light of the Women's Health Initiative. Growth Hormone & IGF Research. 2006;16:S98.
- Birth control methods fact sheet. WomensHealth.gov. http://www.womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/birth-control-methods.cfm#h. Accessed Oct. 2, 2013.
- Growth hormone: Use and abuse. The Hormone Foundation. http://www.hormone.org/search-page?q=gorwth+hormone. Accessed Oct. 2, 2013.