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Thyroid disease in pregnancy can affect the health of the mother as well as the child before and after delivery. [1] Thyroid disorders are prevalent in women of child-bearing age and for this reason commonly present as a pre-existing disease in pregnancy , or after childbirth. [ 2 ]
One study showed infants born to treated hypothyroid mothers had abnormal thyroid function compared to matched controls. [2] Therefore, it is advised to monitor T4 levels throughout the pregnancy in case treatment dosages should be increased to accommodate both the mother’s and fetus’s thyroid hormone requirements.
The increase in kidney clearance during pregnancy causes more iodide to be excreted and causes relative iodine deficiency and as a result an increase in thyroid size. Estrogen-stimulated increase in thyroid-binding globulin (TBG) leads to an increase in total thyroxine (T4), but free thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) remain normal. [5]
The thyroid may enlarge slightly in healthy women during pregnancy, but not enough to be felt. These changes do not affect the pregnancy or unborn baby. Yet, untreated thyroid problems can threaten pregnancy and the growing baby. Symptoms of normal pregnancy, like fatigue, can make it easy to overlook thyroid problems in pregnancy. [1]
Hypothyroidism (also called underactive thyroid, low thyroid or hypothyreosis) is a disorder of the endocrine system in which the thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormones. [3] It can cause a number of symptoms, such as poor ability to tolerate cold , extreme fatigue, muscle aches , constipation , slow heart rate , depression , and ...
These changes may contribute to maternal behaviour during pregnancy and for a year after birth. They could also impact maternal-foetal bonding and the mother’s response to her baby’s cues.
Thyroid hormones play an instrumental role during the early development of the fetus's brain. Therefore, mothers suffering from thyroid-related issues and altered thyroid hormone levels may inadvertently trigger structural and functional changes in the fetal brain.
Congenital iodine deficiency syndrome (CIDS), also called cretinism, [2] is a medical condition present at birth marked by impaired physical and mental development, due to insufficient thyroid hormone production (hypothyroidism) often caused by insufficient dietary iodine during pregnancy.