Elevated TSH during pregnancy is a condition in which the level of thyroid-stimulating hormone produced by the pituitary gland is elevated in the blood. TSH is involved in the regulation of normal thyroid function. Under its influence, that is, under its stimulation, a certain amount of triiodothyronine and thyroxine is produced. All of them create a close chain, the violation of which leads to a hormonal imbalance, leading to an increase or decrease in the level of one of them. Normal physiological production of thyrotropins controls the work of the cardiovascular , genitourinary, central nervous system and peripheral nervous system, including the endocrine and humoral systems.
Causes of high levels of TSH hormone and its consequences
Every woman in the state of pregnancy experiences reorganization processes in all physiologically important systems. This applies to the hypothalamus and thyroid gland. TSH can go off scale for several reasons: the incompatibility of the fetus with the mother’s body and stressful situations, as well as concomitant chronic diseases.
Frequent causes of increased TSH are an overdose of iodine preparations and congenital pathology of the pituitary gland with impaired secretion of TSH. Pregnancy and a very high TSH will lead to pathologies in a woman’s body, namely:
- the development of neoplasms in the pituitary gland;
- exacerbation of chronic thyroid disease;
- violation of the secretory function in the thyroid gland,
- resection of the gallbladder;
- adrenal dysfunction;
- toxic goiter;
- to a difficult pregnancy (preeclampsia);
- renal failure and dialysis;
- termination of pregnancy.
A jump in TSH values \u200b\u200bmay be due to previously used drugs in the form of neuroleptics, β- blockers , hormonal agents (hydrocortisone, prednisolone or dexamethasone) and iodine-containing drugs. Past traumatic brain injury is also able to increase the concentration of TSH in the blood during pregnancy.
Norm and pathology
During childbearing, the amount of thyroid-stimulating hormone in a woman’s body is constantly changing. This is due to the restructuring of all physiological systems and hormonal levels, tuned to the bearing of the fetus and the exclusion of miscarriage. Pregnancy, in a way, is stressful for the body, so some hormones, including TSH, undergo a sharp quantitative drop or a sharp increase. In some cases, the level of TSH is affected by concomitant diseases or past injuries.
In a normal physiological process, the hypothalamus produces TSH hormone in the amount of 0.4-4.0 mU / l per day. In the first half of pregnancy, this amount drops to 0.4-0.01 mU / l per day. Statistical studies prove that 75% of women have elevated thyrotropin until the end of their pregnancy, and the remaining 25% TSH is below normal. A high concentration of this substance can create serious consequences for the child.
Symptoms with a high content of thyrotropin
A high content of TSH in the blood of pregnant women leads to external changes and to a violation of the general condition, namely:
- there comes a gradual increase in the neck and a specific bulging of the eyeballs;
- weight gain;
- swelling in the face, lower extremities;
- apathy and drowsiness, as well as fainting;
- increased irritability and sleep disturbance;
- forgetfulness and slow thinking;
- decreased appetite and gag reflex.
If your thyroid-stimulating hormone level fluctuates between 7.1-7.5 mU/L, see your doctor immediately, hyperthyroidism can harm you and your baby.
thyrotropin and pregnancy
Pregnancy is a serious step in the life of every woman, so she should be calm for her health and for the health of the baby. Planning for the conception and bearing of a child begins with the delivery of a certain list of tests. It includes a blood test for the presence of TSH and T4.
Their concentration is checked after the onset of conception, as well as in the first and last trimester. If you have an elevated TSH, and pregnancy planning cannot be canceled for some reasons, then hormonal correction and constant monitoring by a gynecologist and endocrinologist are required.
The danger of high levels of TSH for the fetus
An increased concentration of TSH with numbers of 4.0-7.5 mU / l (hyperthyroidism) can create a dangerous threat to the fetus associated with its development, and can also cause pathological changes in the body of the expectant mother and affect the normal course of pregnancy up to its termination. The highest risk for the baby is the first trimester, during this period all organs and systems of the child develop in layers in the fertilized egg. Hormonal failure can lead to irreversible consequences for the unborn child, namely: mental and mental retardation, heart defects, genetic changes, pathologies in the development of internal organs and the musculoskeletal system.
Every girl or woman must be examined by a gynecologist and an endocrinologist without fail, so pregnancy planning will be without mutual risk on the part of the mother and child.
Treatment
If TSH is elevated during gestation, this does not mean that fetal pathology will develop completely, there is a certain risk, and not a major pathological transformation in the fetal body. With the results of the test blood on TSH at 4mU / l per day and free thyrotoxin T4 are normal, no special corrective intervention is required. Therapy or hormonal correction should be started at levels of 7mU / l or more.
Even if TSH is higher than normal numbers (7mU / l per day), you do not need to create stressful situations for yourself. This imbalance is easily amenable to therapeutic correction and does not pose a danger to a pregnant woman and fetus. The main thing is to strictly follow the appointment of an endocrinologist.
Correction begins with iodine-containing drugs, if the effect has not occurred and TSH is high, you need to resort to hormonal medications. As a drug to normalize the hormonal background of high TSH, one of the latest generation of hormonal agents is taken: L-thyroxine or Euthyrox . They are synthetic analogues of the thyroid hormone – thyroxine. The course of treatment can last until the end of pregnancy, so a visit to a gynecologist-endocrinologist will not have to be ignored, but constantly monitored and given the necessary tests. The medicinal dose is selected individually for each pregnant woman, and depends on the level of TSH and T4.