|
Both overt and subclinical hypothyroidism is associated with significant risk to both the mother and the developing foetus (1). The prevalence of
- overt hypothyroidism during pregnancy is estimated to be 0.3–0.5%
- subclinical hypothyroidism during pregnancy is estimated to be around 2–3%
The main causes of hypothyroidism during pregnancy are:
- iodine deficiency - affects more than 1.2 billion people
- chronic autoimmune thyroiditis - when iodine intake is adequate (2)
During pregnancy thyroxine requirements may increase by up to 50%; thyroid function tests are undertaken each trimester. During the first trimester, higher circulating human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) causes lowering of TSH levels, and more reliance should be placed on maintaining T4 at the upper end of the normal range (3).
Management of women with hypothyroidism during pregnancy requires specialist
supervision.
In the postpartum period thyroxine requirements return to the pre-pregnancy
levels.
Notes:
- during the first trimester of pregnancy maternal thyroid hormone is responsible
for normal foetal neurological development (till the foetal thyroid gland
becomes active). So there is an increased need of maternal thyroxine in pregnant
women (4)
- due to the increased demand of maternal thyroid hormone, the requirement
for iodine is also increased during pregnancy. In areas of iodine deficiency
this becomes a significant problem and inadequate intake of iodine may lead
to hypothyroidism (4)
- in pregnancy, changes in the immune system take place with relapse or de
novo development of autoimmune thyroiditis (4). Women with autoimmune thyroiditis
who were euthyroid early in pregnancy, are at an increased risk of developing
hypothyroidism as the pregnancy progresses (1)
Reference:
|
