{"id":12573,"date":"2020-07-07T09:00:50","date_gmt":"2020-07-07T13:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/?p=12573"},"modified":"2024-04-24T12:47:29","modified_gmt":"2024-04-24T16:47:29","slug":"hypothyroidism-and-pregnancy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/hypothyroidism-and-pregnancy\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding thyroid problems during pregnancy"},"content":{"rendered":"

You\u2019re pregnant\u2014congratulations!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You knew your body would go through nine months of major changes, but you weren\u2019t prepared for this. You\u2019ve been feeling crazy tired, super nauseous, and uncomfortably constipated. Your weight gain is also getting out of control. All normal? Maybe. But these can also be signs of a thyroid problem.<\/span><\/p>\n

Your thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland at the front of your neck, by the base of the throat. It\u2019s part of the body\u2019s endocrine system, a series of glands that influence nearly every cell and organ in your body. Your thyroid might be tiny, but the hormones it produces\u2014thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3)\u2014are responsible for a lot of major bodily processes, such as regulating your metabolism (the way your body uses calories and energy), body temperature, and heart, digestive, and muscle functions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When your thyroid doesn\u2019t produce enough thyroid hormones, you have what doctors call <\/span>hypothyroidism<\/span><\/a>, or an underactive thyroid. Hyperthyroidism, or having an overactive thyroid, occurs when your levels of thyroid hormones are too high.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For reasons that aren\u2019t fully understood, women are far more likely than men to have <\/span>thyroid dysfunction<\/span><\/a>. In fact, <\/span>80% of people with thyroid conditions are women<\/span><\/a>\u2014and pregnancy, with the cascade of hormones it produces, can be a tricky period for a woman\u2019s thyroid. The American Thyroid Association reports that roughly <\/span>3% of pregnant women<\/span><\/a> have hypothyroidism in pregnancy. Hyperthyroidism affects fewer than <\/span>1 in 100 pregnant women<\/span><\/a>, says Stanford Children\u2019s Health.<\/span><\/p>\n

RELATED: Pregnancy statistics 2024<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

What\u2019s the connection between the thyroid and pregnancy?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Your fetus needs a healthy supply of thyroid hormones to properly grow\u2014especially in the first trimester of pregnancy, during nervous system and brain development. With a normal, healthy pregnancy, your thyroid gland enlarges and, stimulated by an increase in circulating levels of the hormone HCg, makes more thyroid hormones\u2014up to <\/span>50% more<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s important, seeing as your baby can\u2019t fully make enough thyroid hormones to support itself until about <\/span>18 to 20 weeks of pregnancy<\/span><\/a>, notes the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). \u201cBut if you have thyroid dysfunction, there will not be an appropriate rise in thyroid hormones and symptoms can occur,\u201d says <\/span>Tina Nguyen<\/span><\/a>, MD, assistant professor of maternal-fetal medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.<\/span><\/p>\n

Who\u2019s at high risk?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Women are not universally screened for thyroid disease in pregnancy unless they have certain risk factors. These include:<\/span><\/p>\n