Diagnosis and treatment challenges of Sheehan's Syndrome

Abstract

Sheehan's Syndrome is a chronic health condition specific to women who have experienced postpartum hemorrhage. It is characterized by varying degrees of pituitary hormone imbalance related to the pathological process of pituitary gland necrosis after hemorrhage has occurred. Though the syndrome is a rare complication of hemorrhage, diagnosis is often substantially delayed due to the circumstances surrounding delivery and the broad spectrum of clinical presentation. The aim of this paper is to explore the complexities of the syndrome in an effort to help practitioners provide early diagnosis and appropriate treatment to women with the condition. This is achieved by synthesizing relevant and recent literature about immediate and delayed presentations of the condition via the frame of a clinical vignette.