Norm TSH during pregnancy and its planning

It is no secret that almost all processes in the human body are regulated by hormones. Especially important is a healthy hormonal background during pregnancy and at the planning stage.

In this article we will talk about how the hormone TSH can affect the conception and childbirth of a child, and why its level should be given special attention.

Behind the abbreviated name "TTG" is hidden one of the most important hormones - thyrotropic. It is produced in the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland and takes an active part in the work of the nervous system, sexual function, as well as the activity of many internal organs.

TSH, which is also called thyrotropin, affects the receptors of the thyroid gland. As a result of this interaction, thyroxin begins to be produced. The processes that accompany this, have a beneficial effect on the thyroid gland, its cells begin to absorb iodine better.

In addition to thyroxine (T4), triiodothyronine (T3) is also produced, synthesis under the influence of TSH takes no more than a minute. These two hormone derivatives are hormones that are assigned the most important function - control over growth and development.

The more thyroid gland produces T4 (thyroxin), the less the pituitary gland will produce TSH. This link is called feedback. Accordingly, the level of TSH increases if the thyroid produces less T4.

During the day, TSH is produced at different rates and in different quantities. Most of the hormone the pituitary gland produces between 2 and 4 o'clock at night, by 8 in the morning the concentration of thyroid-stimulating hormone in the human body decreases. Daily minimum comes to 17-18 hours. It is not by chance that women planning pregnancy and already becoming pregnant are recommended to sleep for a sufficient amount of time.

The older a person becomes, the greater the amount of TSH he is present, although the nightly stuffing of the substance becomes insufficient. In pregnant women, TSH is always lower.

The role of thyroid-stimulating hormone is difficult to overestimate. It participates in the production of proteins, stimulates metabolic processes, helps the body not to freeze and not to overheat, regulating heat transfer.

The level of glucose in the blood is under the control of TSH, and the hormone is also involved in the production of red blood cells - red blood cells.

The analysis of TSH is mandatory for all women who go to the doctor with complaints about the inability to get pregnant and requests to help plan the pregnancy correctly. Fortunately, in recent years, the number of couples who prefer to properly plan a child is growing. Spouses themselves understand the need to check their own health before conceiving a baby.

The TSH analysis is done to evaluate the performance of the thyroid gland. Increased or insufficient production of its hormones T3 and T4 necessarily affect the level of TSH.If it is elevated, then the thyroid produces not enough hormones; if it is lowered, we are talking about excessive work of the thyroid gland.

Significant excess of the level of TSH when planning in the blood of a woman may indicate ovarian dysfunction, this means that it will be difficult to conceive a child, you may need IVF, sometimes even with the use of a donor egg.

Norm TSH when planning pregnancy - table:

If a woman has previously had miscarriages that do not develop pregnancy, then the level of TSH should be examined at the planning stage. If there were previously problems with the thyroid gland, it is advisable to take tests every three months. Thus, the level of TSH is examined three times.

During pregnancy, the level of thyroid stimulating hormone goes down naturally. Other hormones come out on top - progesterone and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), whose task is to preserve the fetus.

However, one should not underestimate the role of thyrotropin - it is needed so that the baby has the opportunity to grow and develop, because the growth hormones T4 and T3 without the effect of TSH on the thyroid cannot be synthesized.

From conception to 10 weeks of pregnancy, the baby cannot produce its own hormones so that its cells grow normally, it needs to take the necessary hormones from maternal blood. That is why at the beginning of pregnancy, at the earliest terms, the level of thyrotropin falls, because the baby needs T4 and T3, and they are stimulated by hCG, which is produced by the membranes.

After 12 weeks of gestation, when the level of chorionic gonadotropic hormone reaches its peak, the decline of hCG begins, and the TSH again "grows up". This smooth slow growth continues until the end of the term of carrying.

Norm TSH for pregnant women - table:

At the planning stage of pregnancy, blood should be donated for analysis several days before the visit to the doctor in the month preceding the month of the alleged conception. It should be remembered that the level of thyroid-stimulating hormone during the day does not differ in stability. The best time to visit the treatment room or laboratory is the period from 8 to 11 am.

Before conceiving a baby TTG gives in a complex with determination of the level of other hormones important for the reproductive function. To assess the ability to conceive, it is important to assess the level of free T4, as well as luteinizing hormone and the level of FSH - a hormone that stimulates follicle growth. It is best to donate blood for such a test on the fifth or seventh day after the next menstrual period began.

In pregnancy, a referral to hormonal analysis is issued upon registration, if the doctor has doubts about the normal operation of the thyroid gland in the expectant mother. This may be indicated by her medical history, in which there are miscarriages and missed pregnancies, as well as some external signs, for example, goiter. Subsequently, such pregnant women are tested for blood at the level of thyroid stimulating hormone once every three months.

The analysis itself is submitted according to the same rules as most analyzes.A woman should limit herself in a few days to fat and sweet food. The last meal should be no later than 6-7 hours before visiting the laboratory.

Since the amount of TSH is closely related to how the expectant mother slept at night, you need to make sure that the sleep on the eve of was enough, and the woman could have a good rest. You should also protect yourself from nervous situations, stress and increased physical exertion.

The rest of the medications are recommended to be temporarily canceled a few days, and if there is no such possibility, it is imperative that you inform the doctor about them before you donate blood for TSH.

To talk about the normal or abnormal content of thyroid-stimulating hormone in a woman’s blood, you need to know her personal, individual rate of TSH, therefore, if you exceed or strongly underestimate the result, it is recommended to donate blood again.

The decoding of the analysis should deal with the doctor, as well as search of the true reason of deviations in the main indicators.

If the result is unsatisfactory, and the TSH index is overestimated, this may indicate a lack of thyroid function, lack of growth hormones for the normal development of the child in the womb.

High levels of thyreotropin may indicate:

• mental disorders in the future mother;
• adrenal gland disorders;
• some tumor processes, especially pituitary tumors;
• iodine deficiency in the body;
• effects on the body of certain drugs and toxic substances;
• the development of preeclampsia.

Women with elevated TSH usually get tired faster, more often feel “overwhelmed”, suffer from problems with falling asleep, insomnia. They have a visually paler skin, a lower temperature can be fixed, since the thyroid-stimulating hormone also affects thermoregulation. They can almost without reason grow weight, decrease appetite.

If the blood test showed that the concentration of thyrotropin tends to zero, the reason may lie in a multiple pregnancy, because two or three babies increase the secretion of hCG two or three times, respectively, the TSH drops almost to zero.

If a woman bears one baby, then the doctor will definitely consider other possible reasons for reducing hormonal levels:

• problems with the activity of the pituitary gland;
• long-term use of hormonal drugs;
• experienced severe nervous stress;
• oversupply of thyroid hormones:
• toxic goiter.

Women with pathologically low TSH values ​​are more likely to suffer from headaches and high blood pressure, they almost always feel like eating ("wolf appetite").

They may experience strange sensations of trembling in the body, in the extremities, their pulse is high, and the temperature of the body often rises. A low amount of thyroid stimulating hormone can cause emotional “explosions and storms” that are characteristic of women with TSH deficiency.

A few years ago, doctors believed that the normal values ​​of TSH for women of reproductive age should be a concentration of 2.5 µIU / ml. Today, specialists will not prescribe treatments for the correction of hormonal levels if the concentration exceeds a predetermined value of 2.5 µIU / ml.

Recent studies in endocrinology have shown that only TSH can be considered elevated at a level exceeding 4 µIU / ml.

The effect of TSH on the ability to conceive, on carrying a baby is great, and to underestimate this substance is dangerous and reckless. If the analysis for free TSH deviates from the normal values, it cannot be ignored.

A woman who is not pregnant, like a future mother, It is recommended to register with the endocrinologist. Only this specialist is able to prescribe competent treatment, taking into account the individual characteristics of the patient.

I especially want to emphasize that an increase in TSH during childbirth, as well as a decrease in it, only increases certain risks, and does not speak of a hundred percent pathology in a child. Therefore, a woman should calm down and follow the recommendations of the attending physician.

In case of insignificant excess, iodine preparations will help to save the situation.

Learn all about the relationship of pregnancy and the thyroid gland, see the following video.