Thyroid And Pregnancy-Things To Know About Their Relation

Overview

Pregnancy can be a delightful time for a woman as she supposes to have a baby after some period of time. But what if she gets caught by a thyroid disease! This can prove to be a hard time for her as diseases of thyroid like hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism are relatively common at the time of pregnancy and it becomes crucial to treat such conditions.

Thyroid hormones are important to ensure healthy fetal development of both brain and nervous system throughout the first three months of pregnancy since the baby is depended on the hormones of her mother that are delivered through the placenta. After a period of around 80 days, the thyroid gland in the fetus gets able to originate its own thyroid hormones.

Hyperthyroidism In Pregnancy Effects On A Baby

Different types of hormonal and physiological changes are there in a normal pregnancy which alters thyroid function. Such changes mean that a lab test for thyroid function must be interpreted with caution at the time of pregnancy. As we talked about how the baby is depended on his mother for the production of a hormone in the initial time but gets able to produce thyroid hormone by its own by the end of the first trimester. Still, he will remain dependent on her mother for ingestion of adequate amounts of iodine that is necessary to make the thyroid hormones.

According to the research of the World Health Organization, it has been recommended to take iodine of about 200 microorganisms per day at the time of pregnancy to maintain sufficient thyroid hormone production.

Hyperthyroidism during Pregnancy

There are some symptoms of hyperthyroidism during pregnancy like tiredness, faster heart rate and trouble dealing with heat. Even untreated hyperthyroidism at the time of pregnancy can create unfavourable effects like miscarriage, low birth-weight, and premature birth, thyroid storm that is a sudden and severe worsening of symptoms along with preeclampsia that is known to be a hazardous rise in blood pressure in late pregnancy.

There can be some other symptoms like weak muscles, especially in the thighs and upper arms, difficulty in sleeping, eye sensitivity to light, irregular menstrual cycles, confusion, etc. That is why a woman needs to take help from the doctor at such cases with immediate effect.

Causes of Hyperthyroidism on Pregnancy

One of the common causes of hyperthyroidism that can be found in pregnancy is Graves's disease. Studies explain that such diseases are caused by an antibody which stimulates the thyroid too much, in turn, causing the overload development of thyroid hormone. Graves' disease is considered an autoimmune disorder that is a dysfunction of the body's immune system. It proves to be one of the common diseases among middle-aged women and tends to run in families. There are different types of complications that a woman needs to be aware of hyperthyroidism. Like there is an increased risk of miscarriage in the initial stages of pregnancy if hyperthyroidism is not supposed to be under control.

Graves' disease contains almost the same symptoms like hyperthyroidism. Along with that, some other symptoms like bulging eyes thickened skin over the shin area and goiter that is an enlarged thyroid which may cause a bulge in the neck may be found.

Treatment of Hyperthyroidism During Pregnancy

If a lady has mild hyperthyroidism during pregnancy, she probably won't require any treatment. If it is linked to hyperemesis gravidarum, she only needs treatment for dehydration and vomiting. If it is more severe, then the physician may prescribe anti-thyroid medicines that are helpful in causing the thyroid to makes fewer thyroid hormones. This type of treatment in pregnancy avoids too much of thyroid hormone from getting into the bloodstream f the baby.

There might be a need to visit a specialist like an endocrinologist or those who are expert in maternal-fetal-medicine that can cautiously monitor the baby to make sure a woman is getting a proper dose. Small amounts of medicines related to treating thyroid will move into the baby's bloodstream and eventually lowers the amount of thyroid hormone made by the baby.

But a person needs to have healthy information about the procedure of hyperthyroidism and pregnancy, about its treatment and risks. For example, if a woman is taking anti-thyroid drugs, there comes a slightly increased risk of the baby originating structural abnormalities. This is the reason why some patients use to go for definitive treatment for Graves' disease with surgery or radioactive iodine before considering pregnancy. In order to check the thyroid hormone levels, you can have a blood test after a few weeks of giving birth.