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Thyroid Awareness Month: 2001

Thyroid Through the Ages: The Reproductive Years (Pregnancy)

During Pregnancy

Recent studies suggest that women who have untreated hypothyroidism during pregnancy are at increased risk for miscarriage. After delivery, these same mothers are also at increased risk for having children with compromised cognitive development. Based on these studies, expectant mothers should get a TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) test before pregnancy or as part of the initial standard prenatal blood work.

• Nearly 1 out of 50 women in the U.S. is diagnosed with hypothyroidism during pregnancy.
• Pregnant women with hypothyroidism have a four-times greater risk for miscarriage during the second trimester.
• The rate of fetal death increases incrementally as TSH increases (which indicates a decrease in thyroid function).
• 6 out of every 100 miscarriages can be attributed to thyroid deficiency during pregnancy.
• Untreated hypothyroidism during pregnancy may negatively impact a child's psychological development, resulting in a lower I.Q. score and a decrease in motor skills, attention, language and reading abilities.
• In a study published in the August 18, 1999 New England Journal of Medicine, children whose mothers had undiagnosed hypothyroidism during pregnancy were four times more likely to average 85 or less on their I.Q. tests. Children who have an I.Q. less than 85 are more likely to have difficulties in school, and may be less successful in their careers and interpersonal relationships.

Postpartum

The symptoms of thyroid illness are often vague and mistaken for other conditions such as depression. Within a few months after delivery, some women are diagnosed with postpartum perinatal thyroid dysfunction (or Hashimoto's thyroiditis). This condition produces antibodies to the thyroid gland which damage the thyroid tissue. This may result in an increased release of hormone into the bloodstream, which may lead to transient hyperthyroidism.

• Five to ten percent of women are diagnosed with postpartum thyroiditis within 1 year following delivery.
• Approximately 50 percent of women will develop permanent hypothyroidism within five years of being diagnosed with postpartum thyroiditis.
• Symptoms of postpartum thyroiditis include fatigue, depression, palpitations and irritability.
• Twenty percent of all new mothers experience postpartum depression following delivery ("the baby blues"), and seventy percent will experience some form of depression. Since depression is a flagship symptom of thyroid disease, women need to be aware that it could indicate the presence of an underlying thyroid condition.

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Previous Thyroid Awareness Month Campaigns

• Thyroid Awareness Month 2007 – How's Your Thyroid - Who needs to know?
• Thyroid Awareness Month 2006 – A Thyroid Imbalance? Target Your Numbers
• Thyroid Awareness Month 2005 – A Healthy Thyroid: You Make The Difference
• Thyroid Awareness Month 2004 – Take Control of Your Health: Keep Your Thyroid in Balance
• Thyroid Awareness Month 2003 – Thyroid Undercover – Hiding in Plain Sight
• Thyroid Awareness Month 2002 – The Neck’s Generation
• Thyroid Awareness Month 2001 – The Neck’s Time is Now – Think Thyroid
• Thyroid Awareness Month 2000 – Take Cholesterol by the Neck
• Thyroid Awareness Month 1999 – Thyroid: The Missing T in HRT
• Thyroid Awareness Month 1998 – When the Blues Hit
• Thyroid Awareness Month 1997 – 1995 – Not available on AACE Online

Thyroid Awareness Month is supported through an unrestricted grant from Abbott Laboratories.