How Thyroid Problems Affect Fertility and Pregnancy

Your thyroid is a gland located at the base of your neck. Proper thyroid function is very important to your health. Without your thyroid gland or thyroxine, the hormone it produces, you would not survive. Thyroxine regulates every aspect of your metabolism, including your heart rate and the rate at which you burn calories. Problems occur when your thyroid produces too much thyroxine (hyperthyroidism) or too little (hypothyroidism).

Thyroid disorders can significantly affect a woman's fertility. Somewhat common problems associated with thyroid dysfunction are irregular mestrual cycles and a failure to ovulate. An excess of the hormone thyroxine (associated with hypertension), as well as a lack of the hormone (hypothyroidism) can interfer with normal ovulation. Obviously, if a female is not ovulating, she cannot conceive.

If you are concerned about your fertility, an ovulation predictor kit can be used to determine whether you are ovulating. The kit works by measuring the level of a pituitary hormone called a luteinizing hormone, which is responsible for stimulating the ovaries to release an egg.

Hypothyroidism can also result in an increase in another pituitary hormone called prolactin. Prolactin oversees the production of breast milk and can also prevent ovulation. Women with hypothyroidism are also more likely to have polysystic ovaries, which can cause fertility problems as well.

As you can see, thyroid dysfunction does pose some unique problems when it comes to conception. Ironically, the majority of patients with thyroid problems are women. However, with a little preparation, it is possible for a woman with a thyroid disorder to conceive and some affected women will have no trouble at all.

Sadly, conceiving is only half the battle and thyroid disorders can also complicate pregnancy. The excess thyroxine created in hyperthyroidism can be harmful to both mother and baby. If the disorder is undiagnosed or untreated, premature births, miscarriages and intrauterine growth retardation can occur. High blood pressure is also a concern for women with hyperthyroidism, increasing the risk of heart conditions.

However, a woman with a thyroid disorder can have a safe, uneventful pregnancy and delivery. Education and treatment is key for a safe pregnancy. Every woman who is actively trying to get pregnant should have her thyroid function tested to rule out hypo- or hyper-thyroidism. Early diagnosis, taking proper medications, monitoring thyroid levels and visiting a thyroid specialist in addition to an OB-GYN are all important aspects of a safe pregnancy for affected patients.

Interestingly, in some cases pregnancy has actually been shown to decrease the symptoms of thyroid disorder. While most women are unusually fatigued at some point during their pregnancy, women with thyroid disorders may feel better during pregnancy than they would normally.