During pregnancy, the female body undergoes a complete restructuring. It undergoes significant changes, due to which the development of the child proceeds correctly. A woman should know what changes are occurring, because this can prevent complications in the formation and development of the fetus.
In the metabolic processes occurring in the body of the expectant mother, hormones produced by the endocrine glands play an important role. Of great importance in the formation of the body size of the baby and the growth of the child's body is the pituitary gland located in the brain of the future mother. This gland secretes the hormone TSH during pregnancy. Thyroid-stimulating hormone controls the thyroid gland, which plays one of the important roles in the proper life support of the unborn baby. All hormonal changes in the female body occur due to the influence of the hormones of the placenta and the fetus. A change in the level of TSH during pregnancy is a sign of thyroid dysfunction.
During pregnancy, the pituitary gland increases in size. It works in an enhanced mode, therefore, the production of thyroid stimulating hormone increases. However, in twenty percent of women, the level of TSH during pregnancy decreases, especially at her twelfth week. This decrease is often accompanied by vomiting. An increase in the thyroid gland can also be observed , therefore, quite often it is during this crucial period for the woman that some of her diseases are detected.
We can say that the analysis of TSH during pregnancy is of great importance. The first half of pregnancy is characterized by a normal or slightly reduced level of thyroid-stimulating hormone. Its high level may indicate that a woman needs certain therapy to normalize the production of hormones. Impaired thyroid function affects the course of a woman's pregnancy. Thus, an increase in the level of hormones can lead both to miscarriage and to the pathology of the development of the brain in the unborn child, as a result of which he may develop cretinism. Hypothyroidism during pregnancy is extremely rare (only two percent of women have this disease) and is accompanied by a decrease in the level of TTG in the blood. The causes of this pathology are:
- violation of the development and functioning of the thyroid gland;
- postpartum thyroiditis;
- iodotherapy;
- thyroid tumor.
It should be noted that a change in the level of thyroid-stimulating hormone during pregnancy may not be detected for a sufficiently long time, since the symptoms of the disease are regarded as the usual course of pregnancy, which is characterized by weakness, pain in the joints, depression, weight gain, nausea and constipation.
Hypothyroidism is dangerous for a pregnant woman, because it affects the development of the fetus, primarily on its nervous system. TTG deficiency during pregnancy can lead to the appearance of a baby’s brain pathology, which is irreversible. However, if the disease was detected in the second half of pregnancy, the detected hypothyroidism in the born child is easily cured, and a violation of its mental development will not be observed.
It is important to remember that among other tests that are certainly given during pregnancy, there is an analysis for the level of thyroid-stimulating hormone in the blood. Paying attention to the level of TSH during pregnancy, the doctor can check whether there are dysfunctions of the pituitary or thyroid gland, and how this can threaten the mother and fetus. Substitution therapy is indispensable here, since we are talking about the life and health of not only the mother, but also the unborn child.