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Thyroid disorders have been on the rise. Women, especially pregnant women, are prone to suffer from an overactive or underactive thyroid, which causes issues during their pregnancy. In this article, Dr Bharathi Ramesh, Senior Consultant Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Motherhood Hospital, Banashankari, Bengaluru, throws light on the role of thyroid hormones during pregnancy, and problems associated with thyroid disorders.
Thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in the neck that makes up hormones for metabolism and proper functioning of the body. During the first few weeks, your baby depends on your thyroid hormones, supplied through the placenta. These hormones ensure healthy development of the brain and nervous system of the foetus. During the 12th week, your baby will start making its hormones with its own thyroid gland but not enough until almost 20 weeks of pregnancy.
The problems associated with thyroid could be hard to diagnose as symptoms may feel similar to normal pregnancy signs. But as thyroid disorders are quite common during pregnancy, gynaecologists will be on the lookout for symptoms.
Thyroid issues might exist in some women before pregnancy as a pre-existing condition, while in others, symptoms may appear during pregnancy. If you have pre-existing thyroid issues, you will receive more medical attention to keep the issues under control during your pregnancy
The thyroid hormone may increase among healthy women during pregnancy due to two pregnancy- related hormones - estrogen and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). Thyroid disorders occur due to Hyperthyroidism or Hypothyroidism.
When the thyroid gland is overactive and ends up making "too much hormone", it is known as hyperthyroidism.
Some of the signs and symptoms of hyperthyroidism may seem to be normal pregnancy related symptoms but they could indicate an underlying thyroid disorder, like
Left untreated during pregnancy, hyperthyroidism can lead to complications like
In some cases, women may suffer from a severe form of morning sickness called hyperemesis gravidarum. The condition causes excessive nausea and vomiting among pregnant women.
When the thyroid gland is underactive, it makes "too little" hormones, less than what the body requires, it is called hypothyroidism.
Again, the symptoms can easily be confused as normal signs of pregnancy, however it is essential to get your thyroid tests done if you notice
Hypothyroidism can lead to the following complications
For Hyperthyroidism: Your doctor will prescribe an antithyroid medication, depending on the trimester you are in. These medications will regulate the production of the hormone and stop the thyroid from being overactive. In rare cases when expectant mothers do not respond to medications or are suffering from side effects, doctors may perform a surgery to remove a part of the thyroid.
For Hypothyroidism: Thyroid hormone replacement helps in increasing thyroid levels. Your doctor might prescribe you levothyroxine (tablet) which is a replacement for the thyroid hormone your body is unable to produce. The treatment is safe for both mother and the baby. Taking levothyroxine in correct doses with regular monitoring will help you avoid any side effects.
During pregnancy the importance and demand of the thyroid hormone increases for the development of the baby, therefore consulting your doctor and making yourself aware of the signs and symptoms of possible thyroid disorder will help you in early detection and treatment.