What is the cause of abnormal thyroid function in pregnant women?

Abnormal thyroid function in pregnant women refers to a reaction that occurs in the pregnant woman's body during pregnancy. Generally, because the fetus needs a lot of nutrients, the mother's body will be easily affected, which will easily lead to abnormal thyroid function. During pregnancy, women also need to do regular thyroid function screening to check whether their body is healthy and pay more attention to their body.

Why is thyroid dysfunction more likely to occur during pregnancy?

Increased thyroid hormone requirements

During pregnancy, the thyroid hormone in the mother's body is not only used by the mother, but also by the fetus. The demand for one person before pregnancy is sufficient, but after pregnancy, the double demand can easily become insufficient, resulting in hypothyroidism.

Increased iodine requirement

Iodine is the raw material for making thyroid hormones. If the iodine intake during pregnancy is insufficient, it can easily cause hypothyroidism caused by iodine deficiency.

Increased thyroid binding protein (TBG)

During pregnancy, blood estrogen levels rise sharply, causing an increase in the synthesis of thyroid binding protein in the liver. During pregnancy, serum thyroid binding protein (TBG) reaches 2-3 times that of non-pregnancy and continues throughout the pregnancy. The increased TBG level causes a large amount of thyroxine to be bound in the blood, while the free thyroxine decreases, resulting in hypothyroidism.

Surveys show that about 1 in 10 pregnant women has thyroid disease, and more than 80% of pregnant women are missed.

When should pregnant mothers undergo thyroid function screening?

The thyroid gland is an important endocrine organ in the human body. The thyroid hormone it secretes is involved in the body's growth and development and the metabolic regulation of various organ systems. It is also a hormone necessary for the development of the fetal brain nerves.

Before 20 weeks of pregnancy is the first stage of rapid brain development of the fetus. However, the fetus does not begin to secrete thyroid hormones until 12 weeks of pregnancy, and thyroid function does not begin to be fully established until 20 weeks. Therefore, before 20 weeks of pregnancy, the thyroid hormones needed for fetal growth and development are almost entirely supplied by the mother, so expectant mothers must ensure that their thyroid function is normal.