Thyroid In Pregnancy
By: LizzyTotal Views: 278, Word Count: 531,
Thyroid disorders are present in a large number of women. Many of them are affected when in their reproductive age. Thyroid problems are very common in pregnant women. It is quite obvious that the well being of both the baby as well as the mother is equally important. Therefore you need to brush up your knowledge to avoid any hindrance to your health.
Most thyroid diseases that occur during pregnancy are autoimmune in nature which means that the body tends to develop antibodies directed against thyroid cells, that affects the functioning of the thyroid gland. These antibodies damage the thyroid cells which sometimes results in lymphocytic thyroiditis that is the inflammation of the thyroid. Another name of this disease is Hashimoto's. The damaging antibodies reducing the function of the thyroid gland lead to hypothyroidism. On another account, antibodies function against the thyroid tissue which stimulates the thyroid cell function leading to hyperthyroidism as there exists an over-functioning of the thyroid which is also called Graves' disease.
Postpartum thyroiditis is another recently discovered problem that spans the spectrum of both hyper- and hypothyroidism. This condition often occurs immediately after pregnancy. Here the body may produce antibodies which damage thyroid tissue releasing thyroid hormone into the bloodstream that produces hyperthyroidism. At the stage of recovery, the thyroid level may fall resulting in temporary or permanent thyroid failure. This condition is commonly occurring in 8-10 percent of most women after pregnancy, so it is very much advised to go for the postpartum thyroid testing. There are also some other less common diseases like thyroid nodules and goiters.
In case of hypothyroidism, the diagnosis and treatment is pretty straightforward. The doctors advice an appropriate thyroid hormone replacement therapy that can be assessed by thyroid function tests, focusing on the thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level, before proceeding with the pregnancy. This can minimize many possible risks involved with the mother and the baby.
The risk of miscarriage and stillbirth is also increased in hyperthyroidism if thyrotoxicosis or hyperthyroidism goes untreated. The overall risk to mother and baby also increases if the disease persists in pregnancy. Its treatment is a bit more complex and the diagnosis is suggested by specific physical signs such as prominent eyes, enlarged thyroid gland, and exaggerated reflexes, and is confirmed by markedly elevated serum thyroid hormone levels.
The most common procedure to cure hyperthyroidism is radioactive iodine thyroid scanning diagnosis and then the radioiodine treatment is given as a cure. But these are never advised to be performed during pregnancy. However, if a thyroid scan is inadvertently done in pregnancy, this should cause little concern, since the amount of radioactivity delivered to the fetus is barely above the background level in the environment.
Many physicians recommend anti-thyroid medications also as a treatment. In either case it is essential to control the women's hyperthyroid state before proceeding with pregnancy which may take three to six months.
An Antithyroid medication is Thyromine which is a unique blend of natural herbs like ginger, guglipid, a nutrient rich sea vegetable nori, piper, longum and bovine powders. This particular formula makes the ingredients more bioavailable to the thyroid and can cure the problem effectively.
About the Author
Lizzy is one of the most famous health advisors. She has been giving Information on almost all women's health and fitness issues . She deals with physical, mental and reproductive health. Some of her research covers areas like osteoporosis, breast cancer, hair loss, pregnancy, gynaecology and weight loss, giving some suggestions on their treatments too.
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