Taking Synthroid During Pregnancy: Benefits and Risks

Endemic iodine deficiency remains a substantial public health problem in many parts of the world, including many areas in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America. In areas of severe deficiency, a large fraction of the adult population may show goiters. In such settings, overt cretinism may occur in 5 to 10 percent of offspring, and perhaps five times that many children will have mild mental retardation. Managing thyroid disorders requires regular monitoring of thyroid hormone levels andadjusting the dosage of Synthroid accordingly. Healthcare providers work closely with patients to ensure that the medication is effectively addressing the thyroid disorder and that the individual’s overall health and well-being are optimized. Physiologically, at birth the exposure to colder temperatures than the intra-uterine, promotes the increase of TSH levels that stimulates the production of thyroid hormones.

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Several epidemiological studies have recently analysed whether the abnormal thyroid function during pregnancy is linked with higher risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (DGM), focusing mainly on the role of anti-thyroid antibodies (TPOAb and TGAb). Pregnancy may strongly influence women future health because of the many challenges that gestation presents for several organ systems. Failure to adapt to physiological changes results in thyroid dysfunction, especially if complicated by the presence of thyroid antibodies. It is a very well known fact that thyroid diseases during pregnancy are related to maternal and fetal complications. In this article, the authors try to summarize the possible adverse outcomes of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism on the mother and fetus during gestation. They also shed light on the proper management of these conditions to avoid such complications.

What is the treatment for congenital hypothyroidism?

Furthermore, blood levels of T4 are lower in extreme preterms than in fetus with same gestational age (62). In most cases, it is a transient dysfunction that normalizes itself with the maturation of the thyroid gland and the mechanisms that underlie its functioning. Thyroid disease in pregnancy can lead to serious maternal and fetal implications if not adequately diagnosed and treated. Following an interprofessional approach when treating pregnant women with thyroid disease is vital. This condition should be managed by a team of healthcare professionals, including an endocrinologist, obstetrician, primary care clinician, advanced clinicians, nurses, pharmacists, and social workers. The team should work closely to monitor thyroid function tests and titrating medications in pregnant women with thyroid disease.

Once off of the medication, repeat blood tests to measure the TSH and free T4 levels will help determine if the baby can stay off of thyroid hormone replacement or whether it needs to be restarted. During the first few months of pregnancy, the fetus relies on the mother for thyroid hormones. Deprivation of the maternal thyroid hormone due to hypothyroidism can have irreversible effects on the fetus. Early studies found that children born to mothers with hypothyroidism during pregnancy had lower IQ and impaired psychomotor (mental and motor) development. If properly controlled, often by increasing the amount of thyroid hormone, women with hypothyroidism can have healthy, unaffected babies.

CLT is a condition in which the immune system attacks the thyroid gland leading to damage and decreased thyroid function. Some studies have shown a higher rate of stillbirth and miscarriage in pregnant women who have CLT, while others found no increase. First, this is a longitudinal observational study instead of randomized clinical trial. Whether mild SCH women with TPOAb− were treated or untreated with LT4 treatment was dependent on the clinical practice of different clinicians. We compared the maternal characteristics between the treated and untreated group, however, did not find significant differences. Still, the difference in numbers of treated and untreated patients might affect the robustness of our findings.

• When the thyroid gland is not producing enough thyroxine, a condition known as hypothyroidism, Synthroid is used to supplement the thyroid hormone levels.
• Birth weight is a crude measure of fetal intrauterine growth at the endpoint of pregnancy, and it cannot provide information for the possible growth impairment at specific intrauterine period.
• This comprehensive guide provides effective prevention and treatment strategies for diabetes, focusing on lifestyle changes, medication, and long-term management to improve quality of life.
• Although the incidence of persistent hypothyroidism does not appear to differ from term and preterm infants, the risk of transient hypothyroidism is higher in the latters (7).

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This setting provided us the opportunity to compare the LT4 treated and untreated groups to evaluate the adverse effect of LT4 treatment among those women. The present study investigated the effect of LT4 treatment on fetal growth and birth weight among mild SCH pregnant women with TPOAb−. The number and percentage of three ultrasound examinations were illustrated in Table S1. There were no significant differences in maternal age, maternal educational levels, pre-pregnancy BMI, gestational age at thyroid function testing, gestational age at delivery, fetal gender, and birth weight.

• However, when it comes to using Synthroid during pregnancy, there are both benefits and risks that need to be taken into account.
• Levothyroxine should not be mixed with a soy protein formula, as soy protein binds thyroid hormone, reducing absorption from the gut.
• Fetal treatment by intraamniotic thyroxine injection has been provided in cases of inadvertent maternal radioiodine treatment of Graves’ disease between 10 and 20 weeks gestation and for fetal goiter detected by ultrasound.
• It may lead to preterm birth (before 37 weeks of pregnancy) and low birth weight for the baby.

Synthroid is a synthetic form of the hormone thyroxine, which is produced by the thyroid gland. This hormone plays a crucial role in regulating the body’s metabolism, growth, and development. When the thyroid gland is not producing enough thyroxine, a condition known as hypothyroidism, Synthroid is used to supplement the thyroid hormone levels. If the TSH and total T4 levels are within normal limits, the fetus is likely exposed to excessive anti-thyroid drugs. The treatment for hyperthyroidism during pregnancy is indicated based on etiology as well as the severity of hyperthyroidism.

• Here, we describe thyroid function in the fetus and neonate and discuss the most common thyroid disorders seen in neonates.
• Conditions such as hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, and their subclinical variants arise from disruptions in thyroid hormone balance, which is vital for fetal neurodevelopment and maternal well-being.
• Depending on the levels of these hormones, the condition can be classified as clinical hypothyroidism, subclinical hypothyroidism, and isolated hypothyroxinaemia 3,6.
• Decisions regarding Synthroid use should be made in consultation with a healthcare provider, taking into account individual circumstances and the potential benefits for both the mother and the baby.

The cause of Graves’ disease in the newborn is the crossing of the mom’s antibodies through the placenta to the baby. Even for women who were definitively treated for their Graves’ disease, the maternal antibodies may be present for years afterwards and continue to be a potential risk to the baby. The anti-thyroid medications (MMI or PTU) that the mom takes may also have temporary or permanent effects on the baby.

The thyroid gland plays a vital role in regulating various bodily functions, including metabolism, growth, and development. If the heel-prick blood T4 level is low and the TSH is elevated, the results suggest congenital hypothyroidism. The screening test results must be confirmed by another blood test, one that is taken directly from a vein, not a repeat heel-prick. If the free T4 is low and the TSH is elevated, a diagnosis of congenital hypothyroidism is confirmed. The doctor may also recommend some form of imaging, such as an ultrasound exam or thyroid scan, to look for a specific cause of congenital hypothyroidism.

This latter can be a consequence of the use of iodinated contrast media and iodinated skin disinfectants. Due to the unknown amount of iodine contained in the sources of exposure and in the urine, and the unavailability of any information about renal function, the effect of iodine exposure on preterm babies was not clear. Studying the mechanisms that underlie the predisposition of the preterm infant for thyroid dysfunction, Ogilvy-Stuart synthroid online AL et al reported that the site of immaturity seems to be the hypothalamus, because of a normal response of TSH and T4 to THR found in preterms (61).