D, Kayalvizhi, Moradeyo, Adedeji Yusuf, G, Bhuvaneswari · Case reports in endocrinology · 2025 · DOI
This case report describes a woman who developed Sheehan's syndrome, a rare condition where the pituitary gland (a hormone-producing gland in the brain) is damaged after severe bleeding during childbirth. Her symptoms—including extreme tiredness, hair loss, irregular periods, and mood swings—were mistakenly attributed to postpartum depression for years before the correct diagnosis was made. She required lifelong hormone replacement therapy, though her symptoms persisted despite treatment adjustments.
This case is relevant to ME/CFS patients because Sheehan's syndrome presents with overlapping symptoms (chronic fatigue, mood changes, temperature dysregulation) and is frequently misdiagnosed as postpartum depression or chronic fatigue syndrome. The report underscores how endocrine dysfunction can produce debilitating fatigue and multi-system symptoms, highlighting the importance of comprehensive hormonal screening in post-partum patients with persistent unexplained fatigue and the diagnostic challenges that delayed recognition creates.
This single case report does not prove that Sheehan's syndrome is common in ME/CFS populations, nor does it establish whether ME/CFS and Sheehan's syndrome share underlying pathophysiological mechanisms. The report cannot determine causality for persistent symptoms despite hormone replacement, nor does it validate any specific diagnostic criteria for distinguishing SS from primary ME/CFS.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
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