Peninnah’s story is one of survival against overwhelming odds, yet it highlights a hidden danger that often goes unnoticed after childbirth. At 35 weeks pregnant and working as a nurse, she was looking forward to the arrival of her first child. But an unexpected car accident triggered a cascade of life-threatening complications that would change her life forever.
While waiting at an intersection, Peninnah’s car was struck by a truck, causing severe trauma. The impact led to premature placental separation and massive bleeding known as postpartum haemorrhage putting both her and her baby’s lives in jeopardy. Rushed to surgery, doctors delivered the baby by emergency cesarean but struggled to control Peninnah’s bleeding. Despite medications and surgical efforts, her uterus failed to contract, forcing doctors to perform a hysterectomy to save her life.
The ordeal left her severely depleted, having lost 17 units of blood and battling complications including cardiac arrests, infection, kidney failure, and brain swelling. She spent weeks in intensive care before beginning the long journey toward recovery. Though her baby survived and adapted well to formula feeding, Peninnah faced challenges that went beyond physical healing.
Months later, she found herself trapped in a new struggle an unrelenting fatigue that no amount of rest could shake. She struggled with dizziness, forgetfulness, and a profound lack of energy. Her appetite dwindled, yet she was gaining weight. Her hair was falling out, and she noticed a loss of axillary and pubic hair. Despite not breastfeeding, her menstruation never resumed, and she was unable to produce breast milk.
These symptoms puzzled Peninnah and her family. Despite her medical knowledge and experience, she felt her body was betraying her. Eventually, hormonal tests and imaging revealed the root cause: Sheehan’s syndrome, a rare but devastating condition caused by damage to the pituitary gland due to severe blood loss during childbirth.
The pituitary gland, a small but vital hormone control center in the brain, is highly sensitive to oxygen deprivation. When blood flow is critically reduced, as happens in severe postpartum haemorrhage, the gland’s cells can die. This leads to a failure in producing essential hormones that regulate the thyroid, adrenal glands, metabolism, blood pressure, and reproductive cycle. Without these hormones, the body’s systems begin to shut down gradually, causing the symptoms Peninnah experienced.
Unfortunately, Sheehan’s syndrome has no cure. Treatment involves lifelong hormone replacement therapy to substitute the missing hormones and help patients regain some quality of life. Peninnah now depends on daily medication to manage her condition and function normally, a stark reminder of the lasting impact postpartum haemorrhage can have beyond the delivery room.
Her story underscores the urgent need to prevent and better manage postpartum haemorrhage, a leading cause of maternal death, and to improve awareness of its potential long-term complications. Fighting this invisible enemy is crucial to safeguarding the health and futures of mothers everywhere.
