Radioactive iodine treatment is often used after thyroidectomy to destroy any remaining healthy thyroid tissue, as well as microscopic areas of thyroid cancer that weren't removed during surgery.

CNN: Thyroid cancer

Dr. Amy Evans, a pediatrician and medical director of the Center for Breastfeeding Medicine in Fresno, California, says that as many as 5% of all women have underlying medical conditions that prevent or seriously hinder lactation: hypoplasia, thyroid problems, hormonal imbalances and insufficient glandular tissue, among others.

CNN: Is the medical community failing breast-feeding moms?

The tissue analysis during the operation confirmed a diagnosis of thyroid cancer.

FORBES: By Valerie Brown