Hypothyroidism in pregnancy weiping teng, zhongyan shan, komal patilsisodia, david s cooper hypothyroidism is the most common pregnancy related thyroid disorder, a. Hyperthyroidism in pregnancy aftercare instructions. Hyperthyroidism in pregnancy what you need to know. Hyperthyroidism, also called thyrotoxicosis, excess production of thyroid hormone by the thyroid gland. Managing thyroid disease during pregnancy, new ata guidelines. The american thyroid association ata has published new guidelines that cover most aspect of thyroid function and dysfunction during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Hyperthyroidism in pregnancy american thyroid association. The paper will discuss preconception counseling, etiologies of hyperthyroidism, thyroid.
Graves disease is an example of an autoimmune disease that increases thyroid hormone. This article describes evidencebased clinical guidelines for the management of thyrotoxicosis that would be useful to generalist and subspeciality physicians and others providing care. With this disease, your immune system makes antibodies that cause the thyroid to make too much thyroid hormone. Most patients with hyperthyroidism have an enlarged thyroid gland, but the characteristics of the enlargement vary. Hypothyroidism is one of several thyroid diseases in which the thyroid gland doesnt make enough thyroid hormone so levels of the hormone levels become low. The diagnosis of hyperthyroidism in pregnancy can be complicated since some of the blood tests used for the diagnosis are altered because of the pregnancy. The diagnosis is based on high levels of thyroid hormones, t3 and t4, and a low level of thyroid stimulating hormone tsh.
Mar 20, 2008 pregnant women with hyperthyroidism need careful management as some may be at increased risk of fetal loss, preeclampsia, heart failure, premature labour, and having a low birthweight baby various problems may arise in the management of a pregnant patient with hyperthyroidism see scenario box. This is a condition in which there are extremely high levels of thyroid hormone that can cause high fever, dehydration, diarrhea, rapid and irregular heart rate, shock and death, if not treated. The incidence of hyperthyroidism in the usa is 59 per pregnant women per year. Thyrotoxicosis has multiple etiologies, manifestations, and potential therapies. Antithyroid medications are used to restore the patients normal thyroid fonction. Overt hyperthyroidism in pregnancy has a prevalence of 0. Guidelines of the american thyroid association for the. Establishing the correct diagnosis and effectively managing gh in pregnancy is challenging. The thyroid is a small, butterflyshaped gland in the front of your neck. Although any form of uncontrolled hyperthyroidism can. It is the second most common endocrine disorder seen in pregnancy second to diabetes. Thyroid hormones help control body temperature, heart rate, growth. A family history of thyroid disease or autoimmune disease can also increase your risk certain medicines, such as heart medicines used to help you heart beat.
Mar 04, 2020 close followup during pregnancy, with tsh receptor antibody trab status checked around 2428 weeks to assess the risk of fetal and or neonatal hyperthyroidism. Thyrotoxicosis is the condition that occurs due to excessive thyroid hormone of any cause and therefore includes hyperthyroidism. Avoiding maternal and fetal hypothyroidism is of major importance because of potential damage to fetal neural development, an increased incidence of miscarriage, and preterm delivery. The most common forms of hyperthyroidism include diffuse toxic goiter graves disease, toxic multinodular goiter plummer disease, and toxic adenoma. Graves hyperthyroidism gh is an autoimmune condition caused by antibodies stimulating the thyroid stimulating hormone receptor tshr. Hyperthyroidism overactive thyroid occurs when your thyroid gland produces too much of the hormone thyroxine. Severe, untreated hypothyroidism during pregnancy may cause complications that affect the baby and lead to delayed development. During my pregnancy the treatment remained the same. Untreated hyperthyroidism during pregnancy is associated with a high incidence of maternal and fetal complications. An estimated 300,000 pregnancies annually in the u. How to manage hyperthyroid disease in pregnancy mdedge obgyn. Ongoing evaluation of clinical and laboratory data assists the nurse in recognizing the.
Care requires coordination among several healthcare professionals. Lymphocytic thyroiditis that develops shortly after pregnancy. You have hyperthyroidism when the levels of t4 and t3 are higher than normal and the level of tsh is lower than normal. On rare occasions, labour, caesarean section, and infections may aggravate hyperthyroidism to the extent that cases of thyroid storm a life threatening form of hyperthyroidism have been observed. Several treatments are available for hyperthyroidism. Treatment is necessary if you have hyperthyroidism. Some of the symptoms of hyperthyroidism include nervousness, irritability, increased perspiration, heart racing, hand tremors, anxiety, trouble sleeping, thinning of the skin, fine brittle hair, and muscular weaknessespecially in the upper arms and thighs. Other causes of hyperthyroidism include toxic adenoma, subacute thyroiditis, and induced thyroxine overdose. Hyperthyroidism the journal of clinical endocrinology. High levels of thyroid hormones in your body can be toxic. It is in this context that the american thyroid association ata charged a task force with developing clinical guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid disease during pregnancy and the postpartum. Jun 12, 2019 treatment is necessary if you have hyperthyroidism. Various problems may arise in the management of a pregnant patient with hyperthyroidism see scenario box.
Apr 10, 2020 hyperthyroidism is a set of disorders that involve excess synthesis and secretion of thyroid hormones by the thyroid gland, which leads to the hypermetabolic condition of thyrotoxicosis. Maternal complications of pregnancy associated with hyperthyroidism include preterm delivery, miscarriage, hypertension, and heart failure 44, 45. Thyroid hormones control the way the body uses energy, so they affect nearly every organ in your body. When you have graves disease, your immune system produces an antibody called thyroidstimulating immunoglobulin tsi, which attaches to thyroid cells and causes the thyroid to make too much thyroid hormone. Overview of treatment the endocrine society and the american thyroid association ata have published clinical guidelines for the management of thyroid dysfunction during pregnancy that are similar to the. Signs and symptoms vary between people and may include irritability, muscle weakness, sleeping problems. Hyperthyroidism in pregnancy is usually caused by graves disease and occurs in 1 to 4 of every 1,000 pregnancies in the united states. Overall, the most common cause of hyperthyroidism in women of childbearing age is graves disease see graves disease brochure, which occurs in 0. Managing thyroid disease during pregnancy, new ata guidelines the 2017 guidelines, issued after 6 years of new evidence and experience, offer more targeted recommendations for clinical management of women who have thyroid disease once they become pregnant as well as postpartum. Palmert, md, phd ca, b, a division of endocrinology, the hospital for sick children.
Pregnancy outcomes are related to free t4 level, with a therapeutic goal to reduce ft4 to at or slightly above the upper limit of normal. Most cases of hyperthyroidism in pregnancy are caused by the autoimmune disorder graves disease. Diagnosis and treatment of hyperthyroidism in pregnancy. Hyperthyroidism before pregnancy may remit during pregnancy but will recur in the postpartum period as the immune status reverts to a th1 state. Overt hyperthyroidism is defined as elevated ft4 and low tsh levels, whereas subclinical hyperthyroidism is defined as asymptomatic low tsh and normal ft4 levels. Mar 01, 2016 hyperthyroidism is an excessive concentration of thyroid hormones in tissues causing a characteristic clinical state. Hyperthyroidism is a condition that develops when the thyroid gland makes too much thyroid hormone. My doctor prescribed ptu three times 100 mg daily and t 4. In addition to other usual causes of hyperthyroidism see hyperthyroidism brochure, very high levels of hcg. Hyperthyroidism may be asymptomatic or present with significant symptoms. Four key changes in the new guidelines are highlighted.
Management of neonates born to mothers with graves disease. A severe, lifethreatening form of hyperthyroidism, called thyroid storm, may complicate pregnancy. Thyroid disease is the second most common endocrine disorder affecting women of reproductive age, and when untreated during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of miscarriage, placental. Thyroid disorders in pregnancy and postpartum australian. Uncontrolled maternal hyperthyroidism is associated with an increased risk of preeclampsia, heart failure, and first trimester miscarriage.
However,accurateassessmentof maternal and fetal thyroid function during pregnancy re. New guidelines for thyroid disease during pregnancy. Hyperthyroidism during pregnancy find out what an overactive thyroid means for you and your baby. The perinatal nurse needs knowledge of the pathophysiology of this condition to implement a care plan.
Together, the burden of thyroid disease affecting women, either before, during, or directly after pregnancy, is substantial. Appropriate treatment requires an accurate diagnosis and is influenced by coexisting medical conditions and patient preference. Some symptoms of hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism are easier to spot and may prompt your doctor to test you for these thyroid diseases. An autoimmune disease is an immune system problem that may make your thyroid gland produce too much thyroid hormone. Examples of thyroid disorders that give rise to hyperthyroidism include diffuse goitre graves disease, toxic multinodular goitre plummer disease, and thyroid inflammation. No controlled trials of management have been conducted, but consensus guidelines have recently been. Aug 27, 2016 the incidence of hyperthyroidism in the usa is 59 per pregnant women per year.
Complications of pregnancy, including pre eclampsia a condition associated with hypertension, low blood platelet count, protein in the urine and mental changes and heart failure. Updated guidelines for managing thyroid disease during pregnancy and postpartum just issued by the american thyroid association, 1 in collaboration with researchers from boston university school of medicine and brigham and womens hospital include more than 100 clinical recommendations, to provide clearer guidance to clinicians. Thyrotoxicosis of pregnancy can present unique diagnostic challenges and, if untreated, is associated with increased risks of adverse maternal, fetal, and neonatal complications. The most common cause of hyperthyroidism in pregnancy is graves disease, which accounts for about 95% of cases thyroid storm can be precipitated by infection, surgery, thromboembolism, preeclampsia, labor, and delivery whatever regimen you select to treat hyperthyroidism of pregnancy, adopt a program of close monitoring of thyroid function. Establishing the correct diagnosis and effectively managing graves hyperthyroidism in pregnancy remains a challenge for physicians. Mar 22, 2008 hyperthyroidism before pregnancy may remit during pregnancy but will recur in the postpartum period as the immune status reverts to a th1 state. In the united states, the overall prevalence of hyperthyroidism is 1. Your doctor will perform a physical examination and order blood tests to measure your hormone levels. Get info on causes, risks, treatments and prevention of hyperthyroidism during pregnancy at. For these reasons thyroid function is frequently assessed duringthegestationperiod. Clinical management of patients with graves disease gd is challenged by the understanding that maternal antibodies as well as antithyroid medication may differentially affect maternal and fetal thyroid function. The prevalence of hyperthyroidism overactive thyroid during pregnancy ranges from 0.
Overt hyperthyroidism thyrotoxicosis arising from the thyroid gland during pregnancy can lead to poor maternal and fetal outcomes. Hyperthyroidism can accelerate your bodys metabolism, causing unintentional weight loss and a rapid or irregular heartbeat. Left untreated, hyperthyroidism may lead to heart problems, bone loss, fracture risk. Thyroid disease in pregnancy american family physician. Hyperthyroidism is less common than hypothyroidism, with an approximate incidence during pregnancy of 0. I did have my doubts about the high dosage of ptu, but he assured me that it was just fine. Hyperthyroidism is the condition that occurs due to excessive production of thyroid hormones by the thyroid gland. The american thyroid association taskforce on thyroid disease during pregnancy and postpartum alex stagnarogreen chair, 1 marcos abalovich, 2 erik alexander, 3 fereidoun azizi, 4 jorge mestman, 5 roberto negro, 6 angelita nixon, 7 elizabeth n. The most common complication of hyperthyroidism in pregnant mothers is preeclampsia. Management of thyroid dysfunction during pregnancy and. In addition to other usual causes of hyperthyroidism see hyperthyroidism brochure, very high levels of hcg, seen in severe forms of morning sickness hyperemesis gravidarum, may cause transient hyperthyroidism in early pregnancy.
There is a risk of disease worsening during the first trimester or in the early postpartum period. Doctors use antithyroid medications and radioactive. Thyroid diseases are among the most common endocrine disorders encountered during pregnancy. Hypothyroidism in pregnancy weiping teng, zhongyan shan, komal patilsisodia, david s cooper hypothyroidism is the most common pregnancyrelated thyroid disorder, a. Radionuclide studies are contraindicated in pregnancy. Clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and causes and overview of thyroid disease and pregnancy. Thyroid disorders and pregnancy childrens hospital of. The most common causes of hyperthyroidism during pregnancy are graves diseaseand hcgmediated hyperthyroidism such as gestational transient hyperthyroidism, hyperemesis gravidarum.
Care guide for hyperthyroidism in pregnancy aftercare instructions. Hyperthyroidism and other causes of thyrotoxicosis. Hyperthyroidism, also called overactive thyroid, is when the thyroid gland makes more thyroid hormones than your body needs. Before my pregnancy i was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. Thyroid hormones help control body temperature, heart rate, growth, and weight. Graves disease, which is autoimmune in nature, is the usual cause. Jun 24, 2016 see separate hyperthyroidism in pregnancy article.