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Thyroid problems might be difficult to diagnose during the pregnancy period due to the thyroid hormones’ higher levels and the other symptoms which take place in both pregnancies as well as thyroid disorders. When it comes to hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism, some symptoms are easier to look for and might convince the doctor to test a person for these thyroid diseases. Another kind of thyroid disease i.e., postpartum thyroiditis, can take place after childbirth.
Hyperthyroidism
It is caused by Graves’ disease that might first appear during the pregnancy period. But, in case you already have this disease, there could be an improvement in your symptoms during your 2nd and 3rd trimesters. Immune system’s some parts are less active later during the pregnancy period and that is why it makes less TSI. This might be the reason behind the improvement of symptoms. Often during the first few months after childbirth, this disease gets severe again when the levels of TSI starts rising. In case you suffer from this disease, there is a high probability that the doctor will, monthly, test the thyroid function throughout the pregnancy and might need to treat the hyperthyroidism.
Too high levels of thyroid hormone can damage you as well as your baby’s health.
Hyperthyroidism in the pregnancy is rarely linked to the hyperemesis grayidarum i.e., severe vomiting and nausea which can result in dehydration and weight loss. According to professionals, this severe vomiting and nausea are due to hCG’s high levels during the early period of pregnancy. These levels can be the cause behind the making of a lot of thyroid hormone by the thyroid. Usually, this kind of hyperthyroidism goes away in pregnancy’s second half. Less often, 1 or more lumps/nodules in the thyroid make a lot of thyroid hormone.
It happens rarely that Grave’s disease might also affect the thyroid of a baby and causes it for making too much thyroid hormone. Even if the hyperthyroidism was healed by surgery for removing your thyroid or the radioactive iodine treatment for destroying thyroid cells, still your body makes TSI antibody. When these antibody levels are high, TSI might travel to the bloodstream of your baby. Just like TSI caused your thyroid for making a lot of thyroid hormone, it also holds the capability of causing the thyroid of your baby to make a lot.
Tell the doctor in case you have gone through radioactive iodine treatment or surgery for the Graves’ disease so that he/she can check the levels of your TSI. In case they are extremely high, the doctor will monitor the baby for thyroid-associated problems later in the pregnancy. He can also search for the antibodies in your blood to check in case Graves’ disease is the reason for your hyperthyroidism.
Most often, doctors treat the pregnant lady with antithyroid medicine PTU i.e., propylthiouracil during the pregnancy’s first 3 months. Another kind of antithyroid medicine, known as methimazole, is much easier to consume and has fewer side effects, however, is a bit more likely for causing major birth defects as compared to PTU. The birth defects with either kind of medicine are rare. Sometimes, the doctors opt for methimazole after the pregnancy’s first trimester. Some ladies no longer require anti thyroid medicine in the 3rd trimester.
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As thyroid hormones play a vital role in the development of your baby’s nervous system and brain, untreated hypothyroidism, specifically during 1st trimester, can cause problems with the normal development and low IQ.
Some ladies with the sub clinical hypothyroidism, the disease’s mild form along with no clear symptoms, might not require treatment. In case a person had hypothyroidism before she became pregnant and is taking levothyroxine, she will probably have to increase her dose.
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Most of the thyroid experts suggest taking 2 additional doses of the thyroid medicine weekly, getting started right away. Reach out to your doctor immediately after knowing about your pregnancy. The doctor will most probably test the levels of thyroid hormone in every 4-6 weeks for your pregnancy’s first half, as well as at least once after 30 weeks. You might also wish to adjust the dose sometimes.
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Some beta-blockers are secure to use when you are breastfeeding as only the small amount shows up in the breast milk. Lowest possible dose for relieving your symptoms is the most suitable one. Only the small amount of the thyroid hormone medicine reaches the baby by breast milk, hence it is safe to consume while the woman is breastfeeding.
Talking about Postpartum thyroiditis, it is an inflammation of the thyroid which affects approximately 1 in every 20 women during after the first year of childbirth and is common in those women who have type 1 diabetes. Due to the inflammation, the stored thyroid hormone gets leaked out of the thyroid gland.
