You might not be able to wait to bring your child to the world, but if you have been trying to conceive for a while without success, it might seem like something is wrong and either of you are a host to all the conditions and diseases that the doctor warned you about. One of them, is the thyroid gland and its improper functioning.
What is Thyroid?
The thyroid gland is sited somewhere in the lower neck area in front. It is a major constituent of the endocrine system, known for the release and storage of hormones that trigger cellular actions.
The thyroid gland is made of the two most crucial hormones Thyroxin and Triodothyronine. Your metabolism and energy processing depends entirely on these two. Although marginally, thyroid can affect your ability in ovulating, thus giving you a hard time in conceiving. It might so be that you either produce too much of the thyroid hormone, a condition known as hyperthyroidism or maybe a little too less, leading to hypothyroidism. Needless to say, it affects your knack and chances of getting pregnant.
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Thyroid Disease and Fertility:
It does not matter if you already know about your thyroid issue or you suspect to have something wrong with the gland, symptoms with difficult fertility might make it easier for you to diagnose roughly. Of course you got to the doctor to get it under control.
Hyperthyroidism:
Symptoms lead to the overproduction of the hormones in the thyroid gland. Usually caused by the inflammation of the gland, a condition known as thyroiditis, it can have a number of reasons. The signs that make it easier to identify are the loss of libido and being affected by thyroid after the first child. Abnormal enlargement of the mammary glands counts as a big determining factor as well.
Hypothyroidism:
Not enough production of the thyroid hormones can lead to hypothyroidism. This is usually triggered when there is a significant deficiency in iodine. The signs and symptoms include infertility, irregular menstrual cycle, galactorrhea( a condition where there is milk flow even without childbirth). Low basal body temperature is also a deciding factor.
These conditions if left untreated can cause difficult in your pregnancy and give rise to other complications as well. Some of them are anaemia, miscarriage and placental detachment. Postpartum haemorrhage is a common phenomenon as well. The baby even if he overcomes these difficulties might suffer from low birth weight issues and thyroid problems from the very birth itself. Birth defects are common as well. The final type of thyroid is the Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
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Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis:
- A chronic autoimmune disorder, in this, the thyroid gland is destroyed entirely owing to the body’s antibody response. The functionality of the thyroid gland is reduced because of the continuous attacks the immune system makes in it. The major side effect of this thyroid is infertility and this condition is 7 times known to be more common in females than in men.
- A lot of women report overactive thyroid troubles and the effects are inflammation and weak immune response. This triggers the hypothyroidism more and a reason for this autoimmune disorder has still not been discovered by doctors.
- Though with medical advances it can be said that thyroid during pregnancy might not be all bad. Even if you have difficulty getting pregnant, your thyroid gland can be brought to balance, thus restoring a healthy state in your body back again.
- In case you know that your thyroid gland is underactive, the first remedy would be to consult a doctor regarding your pregnancy. He might want to check for troubles in your gland and ways to fix them before you try for intercourse to conceive.
- If it is reported that your levels lower than it should be and you are having issues with your ovulation cycle, doctors usually prescribe thyroxine, that helps recover your fertility hopes.
On the other hand, your doctor might also try to fix your exhaustion and weight gain issues first, which are all side effects of thyroid. Once they are done, you can always undergo the procedure of thyroxine injection again. - In case you are wondering if you are all alone in this, that is not the case. Around 5% of all the women trying to conceive face difficulties owing to their thyroid problem during pregnancy. The right level of thyroxine treatment should boost your hormones and help you conceive.
- Once you do get pregnant, your levels need to be maintained so it can adapt to the changes that your body undergoes trying to develop your baby and his brain. Right levels need to be monitored since the hormone is needed for other areas of your body for triggering reactions as well.
- With the progress in your months being pregnant, your levels of thyroxine will face a dramatic rise and your doctor will administer you with doses accordingly.
- Although thyroid conditions that are left untreated might cause issues with your pregnancy, there is no hard and fast rule about what is the right time to be pregnant. Keep talking to your doctor and get yourself monitored well ahead of pregnancy, during and even the first few months after delivery. The good news here that you should keep in mind is that not all your pregnancies are going to be difficult. A successful pregnancy might increase your chances to get pregnant the second time by a whole lot.
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So, by the end it should be clear to you that your thyroxine levels need to stabilise to conceive easily and stay that way. You might need extra care to deliver a healthy baby, but that should not be a problem and stand in the way as long as you want to become a mother and struggle through the hurdles.
