Can thyroid levels during pregnancy affect the fetus?
Patient: hello sir, im in15th week of pregnancy, just now we took test and came to know that my thyroid level is 7, my baby brain got affected already because of this? i started taking tablets from today on ly. pls give me a reply, that will help for me. im in so confusion. Doctor: Hallow Dear,Confusion also can happen due to low function of Thyroid. Thyroid deficiency definitely affects the development of the baby. Hypothyroidism during pregnancy is associated with adverse pregnancy outcome which includes:• Increased incidence of miscarriages, recurrent pregnancy loss, preeclampsia, anaemia, Diabetes, placental separation, heavy bleeding after delivery• Foetal growth restriction, foetal distress during labour, foetal death, preterm birth• Cognitive, neurological and developmental impairment in the baby.Guidelines recommend screening of all pregnant women at risk for hypothyroidism.  Please get your complete Thyroid Function; i.e. T3, T4 and TSH estimated.The normal ranges for First trimester: 0.1 to 2.5 mIU/L; Second trimester 0.2 to 3 mIU/L; Third trimester: 0.3 to 3 mIU/LLevothyroxine is the drug of choice for treating hypothyroidism. Starting dose can be 25 mcg /day while for TSH level > 10 mIU/l it should be 50 mcg/day. Thyroxine should be taken early morning on empty stomach. L-Thyroxin ingestion and the ingestion of iron supplements, calcium supplements and soy-based food should be separated by at least 4 hours.TSH should be repeated after 4-6 weeks of starting the treatment to see the response. Target TSH levels should be kept below 2.5 in first trimester and below 3 during second and third trimesters. If target TSH level is not achieved, the dose should be increased by 25 mcg/day. Dose should be adjusted according to TSH levels. At any time TSH below 0.1 should be avoided by decreasing the thyroxine dose by 25 mcg from the current dose.After delivery, most patients need to decrease thyroxine dosage received during pregnancy. It is very important to continue monitoring thyroid function tests for at least 6 months after delivery.With this treatment of Thyroid you can prevent the further damage of the foetal brain. I hope this helps you. If you feel so, you may vote for 'Helpful' answer.