Pregnancy and thyroid: necessary checks for those who decide to have a baby
If you are looking for a pregnancy, you will know that it is first of all important to check your health: the well-being of your baby will depend very much on yours. For this reason, among the check ups to undergo before thinking about a pregnancy, it is important to remember to do accurate thyroid screenings.
It has been shown by several studies, in fact, that the fetus, during the first months of pregnancy, having not yet developed a functioning thyroid gland, depends exclusively on the mother's thyroid hormones. It goes without saying that any imbalance in maternal values can cause problems for the unborn child.
In addition, the thyroid plays an important role in female fertility. It becomes even more important, therefore, to make sure that your thyroid is fully functional.
But what checks are necessary and what are the risks for the pregnant woman and the fetus? To answer this question, Tiroide 2.0 deepened with Prof. Fugazzola:
Should the control of TSH values be considered a "practice" examination for women seeking pregnancy?
Although universal screening of pre-conceptional thyroid function is not yet indicated, it is recommended to evaluate TSH levels in the first weeks of pregnancy in women considered at risk (age over 30 years, history of thyroid disease, concomitant autoimmune diseases , severe obesity, presence of goiter). In consideration of the increase in the woman's age at the time of pregnancy research, the evaluation of thyroid function assumes particular importance. In particular, optimal TSH values during pregnancy should be <2.5 mU / l in the first trimester and <3 mU / l in the second and third trimester. Higher TSH values have in fact been associated with a higher risk of pre-term birth, a low birth weight and a higher frequency of abortion, as reported by the most recent guidelines. It should also be remembered that TSH values> 2.5 mU / l, detectable in a variable percentage from 1 to 7% of women of reproductive age, can contribute to reduced fertility. For greater clarity, we must say that this variable alone is probably not capable of causing female infertility but, being the latter a multifactorial problem, it can have a significant weight. Therefore, it is absolutely recommended to evaluate the thyroid function in preparation for medically assisted procreation techniques, procedures that are increasingly frequent if we consider that infertility affects up to 20% of couples. [...]
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Are there other "at risk" situations that could be highlighted with preventive checks?
"Yup. A different situation that it would be important to identify before conception is that constituted by the presence of anti-thyroid autoantibodies (anti-thyroglobulin and anti-thyroperoxidase). In fact, it has been reported that their positivity, even in the presence of absolutely normal TSH values, could interfere with fertility, reducing it. [...] However, it should also be remembered that after pregnancy, in the presence of autoantibodies, thyroid function should be checked every 6-12 months.
If you are looking for a pregnancy and want to undergo a check-up, or you think you are at risk of thyroid disease, talk to your doctor, who will be able to indicate the most appropriate tests for your situation and any therapies to correct anomalies.
If you have any doubts, or want to ask a specific question, connect to the Thyroid 2.0 event to discuss and share questions and concerns with industry experts, patients and doctors.
