What should I do if I get pregnant during hyperthyroidism?

If you are pregnant while suffering from hyperthyroidism, you must pay attention to it, because these diseases can actually threaten the health of the fetus, especially if hyperthyroidism occurs during pregnancy and the thyroid gland is diffusely enlarged, which will increase the probability of congenital abnormalities, premature birth, and miscarriage of the fetus, so you must follow the doctor's treatment advice.

1. Hyperthyroidism, whose full name is "hyperthyroidism", is a group of diseases caused by excessive secretion of thyroid hormones in the body, which is characterized by increased excitement of the nervous, circulatory and digestive systems and hypermetabolism. This disease often occurs in women of childbearing age, and hyperthyroidism during pregnancy is not uncommon, with an incidence rate of 0.5% to 2%.

2. According to relevant data, the number of women suffering from hyperthyroidism is higher than that of men. What women of childbearing age worry most is that such a disease will affect their normal fertility. Is it possible to have children with hyperthyroidism?

3. Hyperthyroidism during pregnancy is mainly characterized by diffuse enlargement of the thyroid gland, exophthalmos, and high metabolism. If it is not well controlled, it will not only increase the risk of congenital abnormalities in the fetus, but also premature birth, miscarriage, and stillbirth; the babies born are also prone to neonatal hyperthyroidism. Therefore, raising awareness of hyperthyroidism during pregnancy and providing timely and appropriate treatment are of great significance to the prognosis of both the mother and the fetus.

4. If a pregnant woman has a good appetite but her weight does not increase with the number of weeks of pregnancy; she has persistent tachycardia with a resting heart rate of more than 100 beats/minute; and her proximal limb muscles are wasted; she should be suspected of having hyperthyroidism during pregnancy. Testing the FT3 and FT4 levels in pregnant women's blood, if elevated, can be diagnosed as hyperthyroidism.

5. After being diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, pregnant women do not need to be too nervous. Normally, pregnancy will not aggravate hyperthyroidism, and there is generally no need to terminate the pregnancy; it only requires restoring the pregnant woman's thyroid function to normal during pregnancy and after delivery without affecting the mother and fetus.

6. In terms of treatment, first let the patient get enough rest, maintain a good mood, and avoid mental stress; pay attention to supplementing sufficient calories and nutrition, including sugar, protein and B vitamins; try to eat less iodine-containing foods; at the same time, use antithyroid hormone drugs.

7. Among anti-thyroid drugs, propylthiouracil is the most suitable. Because it can bind to a large amount of protein and pass through the placenta slowly, the risk of causing congenital malformations in the baby and fetal hypothyroidism is very small. When using this drug, the dosage should not be too large. You can start with 50 to 100 mg, once every 8 hours. After treatment, the maternal blood FT4 index can be observed. If FT4 is normal, the dosage can be halved and then maintained at a small dose. If the pregnant woman gains weight and her heart rate decreases, this is another reliable sign that treatment is working. When the pregnant woman's blood TSH returns to normal, the dose of antithyroid drugs can be reduced or even stopped.