For the first time, a disease such as autoimmune thyroiditis was described by the Japanese doctor Hashimoto Hakaru, who, in fact, discovered this pathology. AIT of the thyroid gland - what is it? Pathology occurs, as a rule, in women in position. In 15% of cases it develops during pregnancy, and in 5% - in the near future after the baby is born. The disease is most dangerous for women of young and middle age.
Pregnancy and disease
Autoimmune thyroid thyroiditis - what is it? By this term is meant a disease that leads to an infiltration of thyroid tissue. With PIT, the thyroid gland cannot continue to produce the right amount of hormones, and due to the release of autoantibodies as a result of inflammation, the body begins to be perceived by the body as a threat.
During the bearing of the child, this organ, during its normal functioning, releases a sufficient amount of thyroid hormones and takes part in the formation of the embryo. AIT during pregnancy is an extremely dangerous condition. It can negatively affect not only a woman, but also an unborn child. Doctors say that pregnancy and AIT are unacceptable at the same time. However, if a woman has time to determine the presence of pathology at an early stage of her development, she will be able not only to maintain pregnancy, but also to give birth to a strong baby with well-developed organs.
Development reasons
AIT of the thyroid gland - what is it? What are the reasons for the development? In most cases, thyroiditis develops against the background of autoimmune diseases that are present in the body of a woman.
Specialists also report on its genetic origin. If a close relative has a similar pathology, then the risk of passing it by inheritance increases significantly. There are also many other causes of autoimmune thyroiditis in pregnancy:
- If a woman or virus has entered the body of a woman.
- With a decrease in the body's immune defense.
- As a result of exposure to radiation, prolonged negative exposure to ultraviolet radiation or excessive insolation.
- Iodine in autoimmune thyroiditis during pregnancy is either not enough or too much is produced.
- Poor ecology in the place of residence or lack of selenium in the soil.
- Emotional congestion, nervous breakdowns, constant mood changes.
- With damage to the thyroid gland.
Additional factors leading to the occurrence of the disease during pregnancy most often include alcohol abuse, smoking, poor lifestyle management, especially if a genetic predisposition is recognized. Pathology can also affect a whole mass of people living in the same territory, in which iodine deficiency is noted.
Symptoms of the disease
Symptoms and treatment of autoimmune thyroiditis are two interdependent processes. Only by noticing signs of malaise and turning to the doctor in time, you can draw up a comprehensive treatment plan that will help to cope with the problem and prevent dangerous complications.
It should be remembered that thyroiditis is quite difficult, since during the bearing of a child it almost does not make itself felt, and the woman associates all the manifesting symptoms with natural, completely normal for her current situation. It is for this reason that the disease is most often determined by chance after an unscheduled trip to the doctor.
Determining its presence is very simple with palpation of the neck, it feels like a seal of an unnatural shape. If such an education is found, it is important to immediately consult a specialist.
In a woman with autoimmune thyroiditis during pregnancy in the first trimester, the production of thyroid hormones increases significantly, which is considered absolutely normal. Further, the condition returns to normal and it begins to seem that the disease has passed. But immediately after the birth of the child, the pathology manifests itself even more intensively. To prevent such an outcome, it is important to control the disease not only throughout pregnancy, but also after it.
Disease Pregnancy Planning
The effect of autoimmune thyroiditis on the fetus can be very different, so not paying attention to such a pathology is very dangerous. The last, final stage of the disease is hypothyroidism, during which the amount of hormones secreted by the thyroid gland in the body rapidly decreases. This often leads to infertility, because due to the lack of these hormones, the follicles do not mature fully, and ovulation does not happen according to plan. It becomes impossible to conceive a child until the problem is resolved.
Pregnancy planning for AIT can be effective only in the case of uethyroidism, when the thyroid gland secretes a sufficient amount of hormones. The doctor prescribes these drugs for the woman. It is important to remember that an overdose of hormones is just as dangerous as thyroiditis itself.
IVF
Before thinking about IVF, experts advise once again to make sure that this disease led to infertility. It is not necessary to think that the IVF method will help get rid of all difficulties, since the success of the whole procedure will directly depend on the woman’s health. It is for this reason that in vitro fertilization will not lead to any effect without holding therapeutic measures for AIT. If the pathology has managed to develop to the stage of hypothyroidism, IVF does not make sense at all, since fertilization will not happen.
But there are also cases where IVF in the detection of autoimmune thyroiditis is possible, for example, if the disease is controlled by a specialist and treated. To do this, you need to go to an appointment with an endocrinologist who will conduct all the necessary diagnostic measures and prescribe therapy. It is important to undergo treatment, following all the recommendations and instructions of specialists. Preparation for the procedure is necessary only after the permission of the endocrinologist, when it will be clear that all the functions of the reproductive system have returned to normal and can work as before. The restored hormonal background will not only help to conceive a child, but also preserve the pregnancy itself.
How does the disease affect the embryo?
Is the effect of autoimmune thyroiditis during pregnancy on the fetus dangerous? The disease has a direct effect on the bearing of the child and can begin to express itself after many years. During pregnancy, the thyroid gland in a woman is one of the most important organs, since it is she who is responsible for the proper development of the embryo in the womb.
At the time of bearing the baby, the thyroid gland begins to naturally produce thyroid hormones, which are important for the baby in large quantities. Thyroiditis directly affects this function and as a result leads to a deficiency or excessive amount of the hormone produced, which in turn affects the condition of the child and the woman herself.
Signs
A disease during pregnancy can report various symptoms. Moreover, each woman can determine their different levels in the body. According to general clinical recommendations for autoimmune thyroiditis, special attention should be paid to the following symptoms:
- the appearance of dry skin;
- the formation of extensive edema;
- problems with the speech apparatus, severe fatigue, drowsiness is present;
- beginning of hair loss;
- mood swings;
- many feel a lump in the throat, and also complain of problems with swallowing food;
- pain in the neck.
The described symptoms do not say exactly about the presence of AIT in the woman's body. But when they are detected, it is important to immediately go to the doctor. Particular attention is paid to the type and form of the disease.
What varieties exist?
The disease is divided into atrophic (reduction of the thyroid gland) and hypertrophic (increase) form. If we talk about the stages of autoimmune thyroiditis, then it is more reasonable to present the following classification:
- Sharp. The most rare form of the disease that occurs due to the penetration of pathogenic microorganisms into the thyroid gland. In this case, therapeutic measures guarantee a favorable outcome when providing timely assistance.
- Chronic thyroiditis manifests itself as a hereditary disease. This form begins to develop actively after autoantibodies secreted from the thyroid gland with the inflammatory process kill thyroid hormones. Over a long time (two years), the pathology develops, as a rule, without symptoms, does not manifest itself. Therefore, it is found most often during pregnancy. Thyroiditis leads to an increase in organ size and the appearance of unpleasant symptoms in a woman.
- Postpartum. The reason for the appearance of this form of AIT is most often a strong hormonal effect on the immune system. The disease begins to report itself after 3-4 months after the birth of the baby and develops quite quickly. The main symptoms characteristic of this condition include severe fatigue, a feeling of malaise, sweating or chills, trouble sleeping and even tachycardia. Often, women suffer from depression and mood swings.
What are the consequences?
If you do not start timely treatment and do not control the development of pathology, as a result, any of its forms will affect the development of the fetus and even lead to a delay in the mental development of the child immediately after birth. This is primarily due to the fact that aggressive autoantibodies deform the structure of the thyroid gland of the child and lead to hypothyroidism.
Also, the deficiency of thyroid hormones in the mother causes a delay in the formation of the child’s nervous system, which additionally negatively affects his future intellectual abilities.
Consequences During Pregnancy
The disease is especially dangerous not only for the baby developing in the womb, but also for the mother herself. The consequences of autoimmune thyroiditis during pregnancy can be as follows:
- problems with labor;
- postpartum thyroiditis;
- diseases of the cardiovascular system;
- exhaustion of the body;
- early birth;
- the development of placental insufficiency (as a result of a spontaneous abortion);
- stillbirth or death of a child in the womb.
To avoid this, it is important to diagnose the disease on time, and then monitor its development and follow all the instructions of the attending physician.
Diagnostic measures
Difficulties in diagnosing autoimmune thyroiditis occur due to the fact that the disease has vague signs, and many women rarely pay any attention to them. Currently, three diagnostic methods are widely used in urgent and planned examinations:
- Palpation, which is carried out in the office of the endocrinologist. It is the very first method of diagnosing a disease, with the help of which a specialist identifies all deviations from the normal size of the thyroid gland.
- Conducting a blood test. It is prescribed after examination by a doctor and helps to identify the amount of hormones and autoantibodies in the thyroid gland.
- Ultrasound helps to get complete information about the state of the thyroid gland. It is also used to monitor the condition of a child developing in the womb. Most often, an ultrasound with such a disease is carried out every eight days.
If autoimmune thyroiditis is detected in the pregnant body, diagnostic measures should be carried out regularly. In addition, a thyroid biopsy can be prescribed - tissue sampling for a detailed examination. All diagnostics during the bearing of the child make it possible to determine the more optimal method of treatment and, in which case, correctly correct it.
Therapeutic measures
The main difficulty in treating the disease is considered to be that during the bearing of the fetus many hormonal preparations, any surgical intervention and traditional medicine are contraindicated. But in an emergency, in clinical guidelines, autoimmune thyroiditis is allowed to be treated with medication. This applies to situations where the harm from them is less than from the disease itself.
Self-medication in this case is strictly prohibited. All activities are carried out by an endocrinologist, choosing an individual treatment regimen for each woman:
- taking medication;
- phytotherapy;
- conducting an operation.
Another fairly effective method to overcome the disease, common in other countries is homeopathy. Its use is permitted with the consent of a specialist. In Russia, homeopathy is not an official medicine.
Can autoimmune thyroiditis and pregnancy coexist? The reviews say that treating your condition and the situation as a whole is important as carefully as possible and more responsible, since it is quite difficult to bear a child with an illness.