Iodine deficiency during pregnancy
If there is enough iodine in food, then it is not necessary to prescribe medications in the form of Iodomarin during pregnancy. But living in endemic areas involves the appointment of iodine preparations at the planning stage until the end of the third trimester. If a woman, being pregnant, goes to rest on the seashore, then the food grown on the coast is already rich in this element. Then the use of iodine tablets is not required. If you live or went on vacation to a country where the universal salt iodization program is adopted, then additional prescription of iodine preparations is also not needed.
If a woman during pregnancy did not take additional tablets of iodine and lived on lands with an insufficient iodine content in the soil, then it is not necessary that the deficiency can affect the mental abilities of the baby. Most likely, the thyroid gland of the pregnant woman will try to compensate for the iodine deficiency , it can increase in size in order to capture more iodine from the blood and provide the necessary amount of hormones for herself and the baby. In rare cases, hypothyroidism may occur.
Iodine rich foods:
- seaweed;
- all types of marine fish and molluscs;
- squid;
- shrimp.
At the planning stage of pregnancy, the daily norm of iodine for a woman is 150 mcg per day, for a pregnant woman 250 mcg, after childbirth during lactation – 250-300 mcg.
From the 16th week of pregnancy , the fetal thyroid gland begins to function, therefore, at this time, iodine is necessary not only for the mother, but also for the baby.
Popular wisdom recommends adding iodine to milk and drinking for a pregnant woman. This cannot be done categorically. 1 drop of an alcoholic solution of iodine is almost an annual norm for the body and has an unpredictable effect, so do not experiment with your thyroid gland. Also, during pregnancy, it is undesirable to smear the throat with Lugol’s solution , make iodine nets and use expectorant drugs that contain iodine.
Symptoms of hyperthyroidism during pregnancy
The increased function of the thyroid gland during pregnancy is characterized by symptoms that arise from an increase in metabolic processes.
Hyperthyroidism symptoms:
- irritability;
- aggressiveness;
- insomnia ;
- fatigue;
- hair splits and falls out;
- wet skin and brittle nails;
- weight loss;
- excessive sweating;
- a bright blush appears on the face;
- bulging eyes;
- increased appetite;
- constantly elevated temperature;
- frequent heartbeat;
- irregular menstrual cycle;
- tendency to diarrhea;
- trembling fingers and eyelids;
- pregnancy occurs, but is often terminated ;
- the skeletal system becomes fragile.
Pregnancy with hyperthyroidism often relieves the symptoms of increased thyroid function, due to the increased need for hormones of the pregnant body and an increase in blood volume. In addition, with the onset of pregnancy, the activity of the immune system decreases , due to this, the phenomena of autoimmune processes associated with the thyroid gland decrease.
Hypothyroidism and hypothyroidism are not contraindications for pregnancy, but preparation during the planning phase becomes very important. For both diseases, if pregnancy has occurred, and the woman did not know about health problems from the thyroid gland, there are opportunities for treatment.
Who needs to take TSH during pregnancy planning
It is recommended to take a blood test for TSH if:
- age over 30 ;
- an increase in the thyroid gland was recorded;
- history of thyroid disease;
- received radiation therapy to the head or neck area;
- increased blood cholesterol levels;
- lithium, interferon, cordarone preparations are taken ;
- diagnosed with autoimmune and rheumatoid diseases (arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus), type 1 diabetes mellitus; pernicious pneumonia, Addison’s disease ;
- relatives have thyroid problems.