How Your Thyroid Affects A Pregnancy
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Do you worry about thyroid and how it is going to affect you during pregnancy? If the answer is ‘yes’, then you have come to the right place. Here, we are going to talk about this in detail so as to help you get a better understanding of it.
The thyroid disorder is considered to be pretty common during pregnancy, be it hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism. As you might already know, it is the thyroid gland that gets affected during this disorder. These glands are present in the front portion of the neck and they release hormones that influence the metabolism (how the body utilizes energy) (1).
The thyroid hormones are essential to make sure that the development of the fetal nervous system and brain during the initial three months of gestation is healthy. This is primarily because the little one is dependent on your hormones, which it receives with the help of placenta (2). It is only around the 12th week that the fetus starts to produce its own hormones. Thus, it becomes necessary to treat thyroid.
The thyroid levels generally rise during pregnancy due to the presence of two pregnancy-related hormones, human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) and estrogen. It might be hard for the doctor to diagnose thyroid during pregnancy. But, he/she will recognize the associated symptoms and advise you to take additional tests accordingly (3).
However, if you are already suffering from thyroid, you should seek more medical care to ensure that the condition is under control. Even more so, during the first three months of pregnancy. Also, contact your doctor if you experience any new symptom, be it persistent vomiting or weight loss. An untreated thyroid disorder may result in premature birth, low birth weight, or miscarriage (4). Thus, it becomes even more important to discuss it with your doc in case you have a medical history of thyroid hormone imbalance.
Symptoms Of Hypothyroidism And Hyperthyroidism
Hypothyroidism:-
- Some of its symptoms such as weight gain and tiredness might look pretty similar to those of a normal pregnancy. Few other symptoms might include (5):
- Difficulty in focusing or concentrating
- Memory issues
- Constipation
- Muscle cramps
- Heightened sensitive to cool temperature
Hyperthyroidism
- Some symptoms like fatigue and an increase in heart rate can be easily confused with pregnancy symptoms. Other signs might include (6):
- Increased nervousness
- Heartbeat becomes irregular
- Persistent vomiting or nausea
- Hands might begin to shake
- Difficulty in sleeping
- Unexpected weight gain or weight loss
Treatment For Thyroid
Both the types of thyroid can be diagnosed with the help of physical examination, existing symptoms, and blood test to measure the thyroid hormone levels. If you are diagnosed with the disorder, the doctor will then accordingly prescribe you a course of treatment.
For hyperthyroidism, doctors usually recommend an antithyroid medication. The aim is to block thyroid hormones from being produced. While it is pretty rare, there are chances that the medication might not achieve the desired purpose. In such cases, the doc might have to intervene surgically. Hyperthyroidism tends to get worse during the initial three months after the delivery, but the doctor will regulate your dosage accordingly (7).
On the other hand, hypothyroidism is treated with the help of a man-made hormone known as levothyroxine. This synthetic hormone is quite similar to T4, a hormone made by the thyroid. Your doc will continually monitor your progress throughout the pregnancy and adjust the dosage of the medicine accordingly (8).
Here, we talked extensively about thyroid and how it can affect a woman during pregnancy. But, do consult your doctor to understand everything in-depth. Also, it is important to understand that every woman is unique, and thus, each pregnancy is different. So, your doctor will understand your case completely and guide you accordingly.
Don’t let this worry you too much. There is an army of people to help you out, including us. Just keep doing your thing. Good luck, ladies!
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