In case you are thinking about hypothyroidism and pregnancy you should know that women could also be affected by the condition before pregnancy and it means that the thyroid gland isn’t as active as it should be. The cause could be surgical removal, congenital issue or a disease.
Information on hypothyroidism while being pregnant
It is possible that you have been diagnosed because of complications or symptoms or during a routine blood test. The truth is that during pregnancy there is no universal testing method. If you have some family history, some symptoms or any other reasons of concern you should ask for a blood test for TSH.
Treatment during pregnancy
If you are thinking about hypothyroidism while being pregnant you should know that only about 0.2% of all pregnancies are complicated by problems of this kind. In the same time 2% of the pregnancies are affected by subclinical hypothyroidism. There are some serious complications associated with the condition.
When thinking about hypothyroidism and pregnancy you should know that in case the mother is affected during pregnancy, the baby could be intellectually underdeveloped or he or she could have an IQ below average. Regarding their future status as parents, they could be affected by infertility.
If this is the case regarding hypothyroidism while being pregnant you could have some complications, such as placental abruption, stillbirth, premature birth and other kinds of complications. It may be a good idea to talk to your practitioner about the possible complications.
You don’t really have to be thinking about hypothyroidism and pregnancy in case you have normal hormone levels before you get pregnant. Nonetheless it might be important for you to talk to your health care provider to find out about the risks that you may have to be facing.
Pregnancy and treatment
In case you are affected by hypothyroidism while being pregnant you should have your thyroid levels checked out every 4-6 weeks. In some cases women have to adjust their thyroxine that they take as a replacement to have the optimal levels. Nonetheless this may not be your case.
Regarding hypothyroidism and pregnancy it is possible that your midwife or doctor will increase your dosage by 25-50 mcg to make sure that you will give birth in normal conditions. The bad news is that your problems won’t stop not even after you give birth.
If you have been affected by hypothyroidism while being pregnant you will have to watch the levels even in the postpartum period. In this time your doctor will have to adjust your medications. Usually this happens over a longer period of time, not right after you have the baby.
Thyroid medication and the baby
In many cases women are worried about hypothyroidism and pregnancy, especially regarding the medication that they have to take. If this is your case you should relax a bit because the thyroid medication is safe for the baby and it is also safe in case you opt for breastfeeding.
Hypothyroidism and labor
Another reason of worry regarding hypothyroidism while being pregnant is labor itself. Normally there is no reason for women to see any changes when it comes to labor. Most probably you will give birth just as any other women would, and the thyroid disease has nothing to do with childbirth.
Will the baby be affected?
Mothers often ask this question regarding the thyroid condition and the truth is that the doctors have no way of knowing before they test the baby. Such screening is available in all the states of the country.
As you can see there is a lot to know about hypothyroidism and pregnancy.
