Prevalence of Postpartum Onset of Disease within Patients with Graves' Disease of Child-Bearing Age.

To assess the prevalence of postpartum onset of disease among the patients with Graves' disease, we performed a retrospective examination of 289 consecutive female patients with Graves' disease who attended our thyroid clinic. Of these patients, 92 were female of child-bearing age (20-39 y.o.) who have had one or more deliveries, and at least 37 patients revealed clear evidences of postpartum onset of the disease. That is, at least 40% of Graves' patients of 20-39 y.o. developed their disease during the postpartum period.