Prepare for the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) Exam with flashcards and multiple-choice questions. Each question includes insights and explanations to help you excel. Get ready for your certification journey!

Multiple Choice

Sheehan syndrome refers to postpartum pituitary necrosis leading to pituitary insufficiency.

Sheehan syndrome is postpartum pituitary necrosis resulting from severe blood loss during or after childbirth, which leads to pituitary insufficiency. The postpartum pituitary is enlarged and more vulnerable to ischemia when perfusion drops, so infarction can cause panhypopituitarism with low prolactin and reduced ACTH, TSH, LH/FSH. The statement describing postpartum pituitary necrosis causing pituitary insufficiency is exactly what this condition is. Other options refer to conditions not due to postpartum pituitary necrosis: postpartum thyroiditis is an autoimmune thyroid issue after pregnancy; an adrenal adenoma is a problem of the adrenal gland; pituitary apoplexy unrelated to pregnancy is acute pituitary hemorrhage or infarction, usually in a preexisting pituitary tumor, not the postpartum process described here.

Sheehan syndrome is postpartum pituitary necrosis resulting from severe blood loss during or after childbirth, which leads to pituitary insufficiency. The postpartum pituitary is enlarged and more vulnerable to ischemia when perfusion drops, so infarction can cause panhypopituitarism with low prolactin and reduced ACTH, TSH, LH/FSH. The statement describing postpartum pituitary necrosis causing pituitary insufficiency is exactly what this condition is. Other options refer to conditions not due to postpartum pituitary necrosis: postpartum thyroiditis is an autoimmune thyroid issue after pregnancy; an adrenal adenoma is a problem of the adrenal gland; pituitary apoplexy unrelated to pregnancy is acute pituitary hemorrhage or infarction, usually in a preexisting pituitary tumor, not the postpartum process described here.