Pregnancy is a period in which a woman should pay special attention to her hygiene and health. They will have an impact not only on herself, but also on the offspring developing in her belly. During this period, increased attention should be paid to the health problems that the mother-to-be suffers from and the possibility of their potential impact on the health of the coming child. On numerous internet forums, young mothers ask about the influence of hypothyroidism on the course of pregnancy. Although the thyroid gland is an organ of the mother distant from the reproductive organs responsible for the direct development of the child, it also influences its condition.
Hypothyroidism and pregnancy
Hypothyroidism consists in the partial or complete inhibition of the production of a specific hormone or hormones: triiodothyronine (called T3 for short) and thyroxine (called T4). There may be various causes for this condition, the most common being Hashimoto’s disease, postoperative thyroid complications, or the consequences of radioiodine treatment. Being aware of the health of your thyroid gland – its possible diseases or problems with hormone production – is a very important factor in preventing unwanted pregnancy and childbirth complications from occurring.
Hypothyroidism it is divided into two general groups. The first group includes people suffering from overt hypo. It is characterized by external symptoms hypothyroidism and is diagnosed in 0,5% of pregnant women. The second form is subclinical Hypothyroidism, usually preceding the full-blown form of the disease into which it progresses over time. Subclinical Hypothyroidism more women are diagnosed Pregnant – statistically, it is about 2-3% of women. Both forms hypothyroidism can be dangerous to the life of the fetus and the course of labor. For example, they can increase the risk of a miscarriage.
To be sure of the health of their own thyroid gland, expectant mothers should decide to have their hormone levels tested before they become pregnant. Women sick with Hypothyroidism they can adopt a treatment scenario that will be tailored to the needs of the pregnancy. They can at an appropriate (determined by a doctor) pace increase the doses of the medications taken, which can significantly reduce the chances of miscarriage. It is very important to have a test before pregnancy because statistics show that most of the diagnoses hypothyroidism in the case of women, it is detected during pregnancy. In other words, some young mothers who are at risk of miscarriage in pregnancy could avoid such a risk if their Hypothyroidism she was diagnosed before conception.
Symptoms of hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism manifests itself in a certain way. The most common symptoms external ones include the so-called goiter, i.e. an enlarged lobe of the thyroid gland, revealing its excessive shape in various places on the neck. The group of potentially at risk of developing this disease includes people who:
- have previously suffered from hypothyroidism,
- have some form of autoimmune disease,
- have relatives in their family diagnosed with hypothyroidism,
- or have a family history of autoimmune diseases,
- they previously became pregnant, which ended in miscarriage or premature birth.
Hypothyroidism in pregnancy can be difficult to diagnose unequivocally. Alone hypothyroidism – its nature and functioning of the thyroid gland – during pregnancy it may have an unusual course that is difficult to capture. For example: in a certain proportion of women during pregnancy, hypothyroidism it is completely asymptomatic, causing no specific symptoms.
The most common symptoms occurring in pregnant women are:
- weight gain,
- fatigue, muscle weakness, anemia,
- abnormal temperature sensations, for example a feeling of being cold again
- problems with defecation, constipation,
- dry skin, excessive skin sensitivity,
- swelling around the face and hands.
Hypothyroidism – Effects
Untreated Hypothyroidism it can even lead to fertility problems and cause female infertility, i.e. the complete inability to become pregnant in the future. Hypothyroidism it may also increase the risk of miscarriage, cause gestational hypertension, cause unsafe detachment of the placenta or postpartum bleeding. Hypothyroidism during pregnancy may also result in: low weight of the child’s body after birth, respiratory disorders, increased risk of death of the newborn, occurrence of psychological disorders later in life, lower level of intelligence, problems with learning.
As the developing fetus does not produce its own hormones during the first 12 weeks of fetal life, its hormonal balance is extremely dependent on the work of the mother’s organism during this period. For this reason, it is an extremely dangerous period for the course of pregnancy in the case of women with hypothyroidism.