A study in the Journal of Applied and Basic Medical Research found that 2 to 4 percent of childbearing age women have low thyroid hormone levels. This means there are a lot of women who are affected by the fertility issues caused by hypothyroidism. Keep reading to find out how having low thyroid hormone levels can lead to risks before, during, and after childbirth. Hypothyroidism and low thyroid hormone levels can affect many different aspects of menstruation and ovulation. Having low levels of thyroxine, or T4, or elevated thyroid-releasing hormone TRH leads to high prolactin levels.
This can cause either no egg to release during ovulation or an irregular egg release and difficulty conceiving. Hypothyroidism can also cause a shortened second half of the menstrual cycle. This may not allow a fertilized egg enough time to attach to the womb. It can also cause low basal body temperature, high thyroid peroxidase TPO antibodies, and ovarian cysts, which can lead to pregnancy loss or an inability to become pregnant.
You should have your thyroid-stimulating hormone TSH and T4 levels monitored prior to becoming pregnant. This is especially true if you have low thyroid hormones already or have had a miscarriage. High risk factors include a family history of thyroid problems or any other autoimmune disease.
Tackling your hypothyroid symptoms early in the pregnancy planning stages allows for early treatment. This can lead to a more successful outcome. The symptoms of hypothyroidism are similar to early pregnancy symptoms. Additionally, the definition of subclinical hypothyroidism differs between the non-pregnant and pregnant state. The former is diagnosed when the TSH is above 4. In this study, the Practice Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine reviewed the evidence and developed guidelines for treating subclinical hypothyroidism in women with a history of infertility and miscarriage.
Subclinical hypothyroidism in the infertile female population: a guideline. Fertil Steril ; In developing their recommendations, the authors performed a systematic literature search of English language studies examining overt and subclinical hypothyroidism in pregnancy which were published between This study shows that higher TSH levels before pregnancy, even when they are borderline high, may be associated with a higher rate of miscarriage, pregnancy loss, cesarean section and large infants.
The connection between a TSH level before pregnancy and complications of pregnancy has not been studies in such a large scale before. What is not clear is whether treating mothers with higher TSH levels would have any effect on these results, so more studies should be done to evaluate this possibility.
However, this study suggests that women with borderline high TSH level should have subsequent TSH testing in the beginning of pregnancy and be referred for treatment if necessary. All patients with overt hypothyroidism are usually treated with thyroid hormone pills. In many cases, the specific cause of hypothyroidism is not known.
The main test used to detect hypothyroidism is measuring blood levels of TSH. An elevated TSH level usually means the thyroid gland is not making enough thyroid hormone, and the pituitary gland has responded by making more TSH to try to get the thyroid hormone levels where they should be. Other blood tests include measuring T4 and thyroid autoantibodies. Antibodies are substances made by your immune system, usually to protect you against bacterial and viral infections.
Sometimes, however, the immune system can make antibodies against your own body—such as against your thyroid. T4 is a hormone produced directly by the thyroid gland. It is typically low in patients with hypothyroidism.
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