International Health Partnership

The published estimates vary but only a tiny bit, approximately 10 million Americans have the common medical condition described as Thyroid Disease. Those same statistics show that as many as 10% of women may have some degree of thyroid hormone deficiency and that 5% of pregnant women will suffer the disease, only in a temporary fashion, with postpartum disorders.

The thyroid gland and thyroid hormone levels are affected by pregnancy, even without the mother having hypothyroidism. Empirically, if a thyroid disorder is going to manifest itself, it will begin just after pregnancy. This is particularly true if there was heavy bleeding during the delivery. No matter who the candidate or what the stimulus was, thyroid disorders all come about with either the over or underactive thyroid outputting the wrong amount or strength of hormone not matter what the driving pituitary gland tries to do to regulate it.

Going into a pregnancy with an unknown or untreated hypothyroidism can put both the baby and mother at risk. There are already staggering odds of any one of a number of complications that are associated with any pregnancy happening even without hypothyroidism. With the disease however the risk factor goes up for a mother who has it. Because of these well known facts, thyroid function tests are often part of pre-natal care and it is at this time that many women find out they have had symptoms of Hypothyroidism even well before becoming pregnant.