Highly normal TSH value: No danger to the unborn child
Christiane Fux studied journalism and psychology in Hamburg. The experienced medical editor has been writing magazine articles, news and factual texts on all conceivable health topics since 2001. In addition to her work for, Christiane Fux is also active in prose. Her first crime novel was published in 2012, and she also writes, designs and publishes her own crime plays.
More posts by Christiane Fux All content is checked by medical journalists.In pregnant women, the thyroid gland quickly loses its normal rhythm. The current study situation shows that the organ remains healthy, but there is no threat to the child. The expectant mothers only need to take medication if they have a pathological dysfunction.
An underactive thyroid can have serious consequences during pregnancy: Such hypothyroidism can cause severe mental and physical damage to the fetus. In addition, pregnancy complications such as miscarriages or premature births are increasing.
Risky underfunction or harmless deviation?
To be on the safe side, medical professionals have often treated thyroid values in the upper normal range in pregnant women with medication. Levels of the thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) between 2.5 and 4.0 milli-units per liter (mU / l) have already been assessed as a slight underactive maternal thyroid.
Experts have now given the all-clear. As long as the mother's thyroid is healthy, TSH levels in the upper normal range have no negative impact on child development and pregnancy. This is determined by the Professional Association of German Nuclear Medicine Associates (BDN) on the basis of the current study situation. Thyroid hormone tablets are then usually not necessary.
Rule out thyroid disease!
With values in this limit range, however, it should be ensured that it is not an incipient thyroid disease that requires treatment - for example an autoimmune disease such as Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Experts recommend further blood tests and an ultrasound examination of the thyroid gland, among other things.
Stress test for the thyroid
“Pregnancy is a kind of stress test for the thyroid. The pregnancy hormone takes control of the maternal thyroid, ”explains Prof. Karin Frank-Raue from the endocrinological and nuclear medicine group practice in Heidelberg. Among other things, the production of the thyroid hormone thyroxine increases by around 50 percent. The mother's iodine requirement increases, the thyroid volume increases.
If the organ is already damaged, pregnancy can throw it completely off balance. This is when some expectant mothers experience thyroid dysfunction for the first time.
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