The postpartum reset: How lab tests can help navigate what’s happening in your body

Published July 24, 2026

The postpartum phase is a time of major change, and not only because you’re caring for a new human. Your hormones are fluctuating, your sleep is interrupted, your body is healing from pregnancy and birth. It takes time to reset and readjust.

Lab tests in the postpartum phase can help you better understand what’s happening in your body and provide peace of mind. questhealth.com offers a range of lab tests you can buy without a doctor’s visit. You should share your results with your doctor or healthcare provider team to help manage postpartum recovery.

What to expect in the postpartum phase

Postpartum generally refers to the time starting immediately after childbirth through 6 to 8 weeks after delivery. However, your body continues going through many changes for months after giving birth.¹

These changes affect how you feel physically and emotionally. Days or moments of elation may be followed by moments of pure exhaustion. Go easy on yourself during this time. Physical symptoms, like cramps, nipple pain, constipation, hair loss, and healing incisions can take their toll. Plus, hormone shifts and disrupted sleep can affect your mental and emotional well-being.¹

It’s normal to feel ups and downs. But sometimes, those feelings may grow or last long and affect your ability to care for yourself and your baby. Baby blues are common and tend to last a few weeks after birth. Feeling sad or crying at times isn’t a sign that anything is wrong with you. However, if your feelings go beyond occasional bouts of sadness or last months after giving birth, that may be a sign of a more serious issue.¹ Postpartum depression can gradually develop up to a year after giving birth, but most commonly, it affects women about 6 weeks after delivery.²

Postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, and postpartum psychosis are serious mental health conditions that can develop over time. Postpartum depression may cause feelings of deep sadness and hopelessness. Postpartum anxiety may cause extreme worry, trouble sleeping, and heart palpitations.¹ Seeking professional help early is important. Postpartum psychosis is a medical emergency. Symptoms include seeing or hearing things others don’t, insomnia, and irritability.³

Shifting hormones

During pregnancy, your levels of progesterone and estrogen skyrocket. They drop to near menopause levels after delivery, and then slowly start returning to normal a few days later. The sudden withdrawal of these hormones can lead to mood swings and may contribute to baby blues or postpartum depression.⁴

Oxytocin and prolactin increase after birth and remain elevated for women who breastfeed. When breastfeeding, estrogen and progesterone will stay at lower levels for months after delivery.

Hormone levels are also closely tied to your immune system. During pregnancy, your immune system is suppressed to support your baby. But after birth, it ramps up again. As your immune system picks back up, it can affect how much or little of key hormones your body produces.⁴

Monitoring thyroid function

Another group of hormones also fluctuate during and after pregnancy. Your thyroid is a gland in the lower front area of your neck that makes thyroid hormones.⁵

Levels of thyroid hormones and antibodies can shift during pregnancy and the postpartum phase. If your thyroid hormones are out of balance, it can affect your mood and weight loss efforts and cause hair loss.

About 5% to 10% of women develop a condition called postpartum thyroiditis. Thyroiditis simply means that your thyroid gland is inflamed. Postpartum thyroiditis can develop within the first year after giving birth. The symptoms often go away after 12 to 18 months.

It usually has 2 phases. The first is hyperthyroidism, when your thyroid produces too much hormone. The second is hypothyroidism, when it produces too little. Women with type 1 diabetes, other autoimmune diseases, or a history of thyroid disease are at higher risk.⁵

Symptoms are similar to those women face during the postpartum phase, making it difficult to recognize.⁶ Symptoms of postpartum thyroiditis or other thyroid issues include

• Insomnia
• Heart palpitations
• Fatigue
• Weight loss
• Constipation
• Muscle pain

Maintaining your nutrition

In the early days after birth, you may be consuming more food than usual. But it’s important to maintain a balanced diet as much as possible for your recovery. Aim to eat a variety of foods, including protein, fruits, and vegetables. Pregnancy and childbirth can deplete some key nutrients, including vitamin A, B vitamins, vitamin D, zinc, calcium, and iron.⁷

Your body needs protein, vitamins, and minerals to support you and your baby. Low levels of these nutrients can affect your energy, mood, focus, breastmilk supply, and overall recovery.⁷

A varied diet is especially important when breastfeeding. Women who are breastfeeding need to eat about 300 to 400 more calories per day than before pregnancy. Your need for iodine and choline also increases when breastfeeding. You can get those nutrients through eggs, meats, beans, and dairy.⁷

If you follow a specific diet, such as ketogenic or paleo, or are vegan or vegetarian, you may want to talk to your care team about your nutrient needs. Testing can help you know whether you need to make changes to your diet and whether your baby is likely getting enough of essential nutrients if you’re breastfeeding.

Monitoring breast milk supply

Moms who breastfeed may also have concerns about milk supply. Nutrition and health factors can affect how much milk you produce. 

Low milk supply is one of the primary reasons women stop breastfeeding earlier than planned. Many women stop breastfeeding based on their own perception of their milk supply without having it evaluated.⁸

Every woman’s supply is different. Pumping less than you think you should doesn’t always mean you don’t produce enough milk. Testing can give you objective information, you can decide whether to continue breastfeeding exclusively, supplement with formula, or stop breastfeeding . 

Keeping tabs on stress

Other hormones can also be off after delivery, particularly cortisol, your primary stress hormone. Cortisol increases gradually during pregnancy and drops quickly back to your pre-pregnancy level after delivery. Sometimes, your body may struggle to regulate cortisol levels. Having too much or too little cortisol may affect your mood and may contribute to postpartum anxiety or depression.⁹

Checking your cortisol levels can help you better understand what you’re feeling. You can test cortisol alone or with DHEAS to monitor adrenal function or with melatonin to better understand your sleep habits:

• Cortisol Stress Hormone Test
• Cortisol & DHEA-S (Adrenal Function) Test Panel — Morning Snapshot
• Cortisol & DHEA-S (Adrenal Function) Test Panel — Full-Day Assessment
• Cortisol & Melatonin (Sleep Hormone) Test Panel — Morning Snapshot
• Cortisol & Melatonin (Sleep Hormone) Test Panel — Full-Day Assessment

Although the hard work and discomfort of pregnancy is over, your body is still making major adjustments in the months after giving birth. Take the time you need to rest and recover. If you have symptoms that don’t resolve, talk to a healthcare provider.