Dr. Lisa Becht was recently quoted in an article written by Wendy Wisner for Live Strong titled “What Is Postpartum Thyroiditis and How Is It Treated?”

Pregnancy and childbirth can have significant effects on your body. And while it’s relatively uncommon, sometimes having a baby can affect your thyroid. Sometimes, changes during pregnancy can cause the thyroid to secrete too much or too little thyroid hormone, resulting in a condition known as postpartum thyroiditis, according to the National Library of Medicine (NLM).

Postpartum thyroiditis is a disorder of the thyroid gland that affects approximately 5 percent of postpartum parents, per the NLM. It’s characterized by periods of high levels of thyroid hormone (hyperthyroidism) and low levels of the hormone (hypothyroidism).

Anyone can get postpartum thyroiditis after having a baby. But according to Lisa Becht, MD, board-certified reproductive endocrinologist at HRC Fertility, people with positive thyroid antibodies (a sign of autoimmune disease) are more likely to get the condition. And then higher your antibody level, the higher your risk for developing the condition, she says.

The article goes on to discuss how postpartum thyroiditis is diagnosed and the treatment options that are available. To learn more about postpartum thyroiditis, read the article in its entirety here.