What to do if you have thyroid during pregnancy

If a female friend develops thyroid nodules or other thyroid diseases during pregnancy, she needs to pay attention to it, because thyroid disease is likely to affect the health of the fetus, and hyperthyroidism can cause intellectual impairment of the fetus. I hope expectant mothers can pay attention to it. When thyroid disease occurs during pregnancy, expectant mothers are advised to receive timely medical treatment to avoid the impact of thyroid disease on the fetus.

1. Why do you need a thyroid test during pregnancy?

Generally speaking, pregnant women need to undergo examinations when they open a medical insurance card. If the results of some examinations are not up to standard, then re-examinations are needed during pregnancy. However, many pregnant women are now told by doctors that there is a problem with their thyroid gland during routine prenatal examinations and that they need to undergo endocrine examinations again. Many people think that this is an unnecessary examination and that the hospital is doing it to make money from registration fees. Actually, it is not. This is mainly to confirm whether the pregnant mother suffers from hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism. If these two diseases are not discovered and treated in time, they will directly affect the development of the fetus and even affect the child's intelligence. Therefore, thyroid and endocrine examinations during pregnancy are essential.

2. What are the thyroid examination items for pregnant women?

1. Serum total triiodothyronine (TT3)

Triiodothyronine, abbreviated as T3, is produced by thyroid follicular epithelial cells. Testing the total T3 content (TT3) in the blood is a more sensitive indicator for diagnosing hyperthyroidism.

2. Serum total thyroxine (TT4)

Thyroxine, abbreviated as T4, is produced entirely by the thyroid gland. Testing the total T4 content (TT4) in the blood is a commonly used indicator for judging hyperthyroidism (commonly known as "hyperthyroidism") or hypothyroidism (commonly known as "hypothyroidism"), and it also has application value in assessing the severity of the disease and monitoring the efficacy of the treatment.

3. Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH)

Thyroid-stimulating hormone, abbreviated as TSH, has the main function of controlling the thyroid gland. It can promote the production of thyroid hormones and the release of produced thyroid hormones into the blood. It also plays an important role in the growth and metabolism of the thyroid gland itself. Changes in serum TSH concentration are a more sensitive indicator of thyroid function.

4. Serum free triiodothyronine (FT3) and serum free thyroxine (FT4)

Serum free triiodothyronine is referred to as FT3, and serum free thyroxine is referred to as FT4. Although FT3 accounts for only 0.35% of T3 and FT4 accounts for only 0.025% of T4, they are closely related to the biological effects of thyroid hormones, so they are the preferred indicators for diagnosing clinical hyperthyroidism. Many hospitals have used these two indicators instead of TT3 and TT4 to diagnose hyperthyroidism.

3. What are the hazards of thyroid gland in pregnant women?

Due to changes in hormone levels in pregnant women, they may suffer from some thyroid diseases, the most common of which are hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism.

If thyroid disease is not treated in time, it may pose a threat to the health of both mother and baby. For the mother, it may cause gestational hypertension, placental abruption, spontaneous abortion, and premature birth; for the fetus, it may cause intrauterine growth retardation, fetal physical defects, deformities, low birth weight, and even lead to neurological and intellectual development disorders in the baby.

For some high-risk groups for thyroid disease, such as those with a personal and family history of thyroid disease, those with positive thyroid autoantibodies in the past, those who have had thyroid surgery, those with autoimmune diseases or a family history, etc., screening should be performed before pregnancy. If thyroid disease is found, treatment should be given before pregnancy.

4. So what should pregnant women do about their thyroid gland?

Thyroid hormone levels should be monitored during pregnancy. Some symptoms of thyroid disease, such as weight gain, fatigue, and edema, can easily be mistaken for manifestations of pregnancy and ignored, so special attention should be paid to identification. In addition, pregnant women should eat more iodine-containing foods such as kelp, seaweed, and marine fish, and monitor urinary iodine regularly.