In this post, we will be taking a brief look at how thyroid can influence your pregnancy. Before you proceed to read the article, please do note that you shouldn't intake any medicines on your own. There are certain medicines which are universal, and may not cause any issues, but why take the risk? Just simply go and ask your gynaecologist for advice on the best medicines to control thyroid during pregnancy.
That being said, now carefully read the article, and start to imply the steps which you feel can bring about a right change in your life.
What & where is the thyroid gland?
The thyroid gland is more like in a shape of a butterfly, and can be found in the neck region of a female. This region is mainly responsible for the secretion of T3 and T4 hormones. The gland receives the brain from the signals, which releases Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (THC).
Types of Thyroid Issues:
Hyperthyroidism
The thyroid gland secretes too much of T3 and T4 hormones, giving a negative signal to the brain to reduce the generation of THC hormone. Now, generally Hyperthyroidism isn't that commonly found across women. It's a kind of rare issue, but at the same time the severity of it is quite high and risky. SYMPTOMS
- Anxiety increases
- Anger management issues
- Diarrhea, Loose Motion & Other Stomach Related Issues
- Increase or Heart Rate
Hypothyroidism
This is the state where the T3 and T4 level takes a dip, and the positive signal goes to the brain, which starts to increase the THC level to stimulate the gland. It's generally Hypothyroidism which people face, mainly due to lack of iron. There are other factors too that could contribute to Hypothyroidism, including stressful life.
Symptoms
- There's a lot of drying up of skin
- Loss of hair
- Weight gain is to be seen
- The body gets restless and slow
- Constipation
Does thyroid and pregnancy really have a connection?
Yes, it has! The thyroid hormone has an impact on the baby. That's why the doctors do your regular checkups to check on a lot of factors, including thyroid. In fact, there have been instances with gynecologists where the patient didn't had any symptoms of thyroid, but they were still diagnosed with it.
Following are some of the health issues that the mother or baby could face due to the presence of thyroid in the system:
- A condition known as Gestational hypertension which begins mainly after twenty weeks of pregnancy and ends after the lady gives birth.
- Lack of red blood cells, leading to oxygen travelling issues across the body.
- Placental abruption
- Baby's low birth weight
- Intellectual disabilities, dwarfism, etc type are the issues that are having direct connection with hypothyroidism, and can be witnessed in babies.
- Stillbirth or miscarriage
How to control thyroid during pregnancy?
Along with medicines prescribed by your doctor, you have to realign your lifestyle, or in other words, you will have to bring about some significant changes in your overall lifestyle too. Let's start!
Note: The ground reality can be a bit different, and that's why the extra tips to control thyroid during pregnancy have to be presented with an ideal mix of what's written in the book and is actually happening out there.
- First of all, make sure that you include exercise in your daily plan. If you are not exercising daily, you are making a great mistake! At the very least, you can include some half an hour of walking. If you can, and your body is willing to, then go for some other exercises too. Here, we would recommend you to get in touch with a gynaecologist, as they will be able to better diagnose and advise on the type and amount of exercise that you should pull off during such a period.
- Feel free to input food items like Green Tea, Salads (Cucumber & Carrot), and if you are non-vegetarian, you may also consider consuming two eggs in a day. Also, avoid broccoli and cabbage. These items would influence the thyroid gland production.
- When it comes to supplements, you should always take advice from your gynaecologist. Though, in the market there are certain supplements that you can even go for without the doctor's prescription, including Cord Liver Oil Capsules, Chia Seeds, Primerose Oil, etc.
Conclusion
There have been instances where a female was found to be having regular pregnancy related issues, and upon their diagnosis, or just regular checkups, they were found to be suffering from thyroid. Surprisingly, in such cases, there were hardly any signs of symptoms. So, to make sure that your hormone levels are not imbalanced, stay in regular touch with a gynaecologist during your pregnancy. Other than that, the above tips will be a good start to control thyroid during your pregnancy.
