Thyroiditis Risks Linger for Many Women After Pregnancy

Up to 10 percent of U.S. women suffer from postpartum thyroiditis (PPT) in the year after giving birth. The condition, which is thought to be an autoimmune disease similar to Hashimoto’s, is generally thought to resolve in about one year.

However, a new study found that 54 percent of women remained hypothyroid one year after giving birth.

According to the American Thyroid Association:

“It is believed that women who develop postpartum thyroiditis have an underlying asymptomatic autoimmune thyroiditis that flares in the postpartum period when there are fluctuations in immune function.”

PPT leads to a period of thyrotoxicosis (high thyroid hormone levels) followed by low thyroid hormone levels, or hypothyroidism. Although not all women go through both phases, the initial high thyroid level phase is often missed because it occurs in the first one to four months after delivery and causes symptoms like anxiety, insomnia, fast heart rate, fatigue, weight loss, and irritability — all of which can be confused with the normal experiences of having a new baby.

After this phase, typically within four to eight months after birth women with PPT often experience fatigue, weight gain, constipation, dry skin, depression and other symptoms of hypothyroidism.

For 80 percent of women, thyroid levels will return to normal on their own, typically within one year but possibly not for another six months or more. But in the remaining 20 percent hypothyroidism may continue. Further, the report in Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism notes that up to half of women will develop permanent hypothyroidism within five years of the initial PPT.

Women with positive anti-thyroid antibodies, autoimmune disorders, history of PPT or other thyroid dysfunction, or other signs of high risk for thyroid disease may be up to six times more likely to develop postpartum thyroiditis.

If you have recently had a baby and are experiencing mild signs of PPT, treatment may not be necessary. However, because the hypothyroid phase can continue up to a year or more, and may reoccur with subsequent pregnancies or as permanent hypothyroidism years later, keeping on top of the condition with the help of a knowledgeable health care practitioner is highly recommended.

Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism December 29, 2010 [PDF]

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The Functional Endocrinology Center of Colorado is passionate about improving the lives and lifestyles of individuals with Type II Diabetes and Hashimoto’s Disease. Call us at 303-302-0930 to schedule your complimentary consultation.

Thyroid Disease Common in Pregnant Women — Even Those With No Risk Factors

Thyroid disease in pregnancy has been linked to miscarriage, premature delivery and a range of complications in both mother and baby. Thyroid hormone is essential for normal brain and nervous system development, so low-functioning thyroid in the mother may lead to cognitive and developmental disabilities in the newborn.

Even mild subclinical hypothyroidism during pregnancy may lead to subtle brain abnormalities in the child, but many women are not aware there’s a problem because widespread screening is not routine.

As it stands, only women with risk factors of thyroid disease are screened for such disorders during pregnancy. This includes women who have:

• Family or personal history of thyroid disease
• Goiter
• Symptoms of thyroid disease, including anemia or high cholesterol
• Type 1 diabetes or other autoimmune disorders
• Received radiation to the head or neck as part of a medical treatment
• History of miscarriage or premature delivery
• Infertility

However, a recent study revealed that thyroid disease is actually more common in pregnant women than expected, and often occurs among women without the above risk factors. In fact, the study revealed that over half (55 percent) of pregnant women with thyroid disease would be missed if only high-risk criteria like those listed above were examined.

What this means is that many pregnant women without thyroid disease risk factors or symptoms miss out on being screened and never know they have the condition — putting themselves and their babies at risk.

To avoid unnecessary pregnancy complications, be sure to have your thyroid health thoroughly checked, ideally before becoming pregnant but at the very least during. This is especially important if you experience any symptoms of low-functioning thyroid, such as fatigue, unexplained weight gain, constipation, joint/muscle pain, dry skin, or cold intolerance.

Want to know even more details about thyroid health and pregnancy? Be sure to read What Every Woman Needs to Know About Hypothyroidism During Pregnancy.

European Journal of Endocrinology, Vol 163, Issue 4, 645-650

Clinical Thyroidology for Patients November 2010 Volume 3 Issue 11

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The Functional Endocrinology Center of Colorado is passionate about improving the lives and lifestyles of individuals with Type II Diabetes and Hashimoto’s Disease. Call us at 303-302-0930 to schedule your complimentary consultation.

Another Drinking Water Chemical to Watch Out For — Especially if You’re Pregnant

A new study revealed that low levels of perchlorate in drinking water could be putting your newborn’s thyroid health at risk. Perchlorate is a propellant for rockets, missiles, and fireworks and is also used in the production of matches, explosives and other products.

Most U.S. perchlorate contamination comes from defense and aerospace activities that took place over the last few decades, and the chemical has now been found in over 4 percent of U.S. public water supplies, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Perchlorate is a well-known danger to the thyroid gland; specifically it’s known to interfere with the uptake of iodide, leading to decreased production of thyroid hormones. This can be especially damaging in newborns, who depend on thyroid hormones for normal brain and nervous system development while in utero.

According to the latest research, babies born in areas where water was contaminated with perchlorate in excess of 5 parts per billion (ppb) had a 50 percent chance of having poorly performing thyroid glands. This was true even in areas where the chemical was below existing state standards of 6 ppb.

Such exposures could potentially have a negative impact on children’s future intelligence.

Data for the study came from nearly 500,000 newborns living in California, one of only a handful of states that have developed drinking water standards for the chemical. As of January 2011, California is also working to decrease the perchlorate in drinking water Public Health Goal from 6 ppb to 1 ppb.

On a federal level, however, the chemical remains unregulated while the EPA mulls over its final decision on whether or not to even establish a nationwide standard.

Because this chemical can harm your thyroid even at low levels, and presents especially serious risks for newborns, infants and pregnant women, it’s a good idea to find out if your drinking water is safe.

Perchlorate has been found in water at varying levels in 45 states, as well as in the food supply (such as in tomatoes, spinach and other produce grown with contaminated water), so call your drinking water utility or state drinking water program to find out if the chemical is monitored in your state, and what levels are like in your area.

If the chemical is not monitored where you live, an independent laboratory, certified to analyze water for perchlorate, can test your water for you. If levels are high, you may want to consider reverse osmosis technology to remove the chemical from your home’s drinking water.

Hopefully, however, in the near future the EPA will add perchlorate to the list of chemicals regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act, so all of us in the United States can have access to cleaner, safer water.

Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine December 2010; 52(12):1217-524.

The Press-Enterprise December 10, 2010

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The Functional Endocrinology Center of Colorado is passionate about improving the lives and lifestyles of individuals with Type II Diabetes and Hashimoto’s Disease. Call us at 303-302-0930 to schedule your complimentary consultation.

Pregnant? Make Sure You’re Screened for This Common Health Condition

About 4 percent of pregnant women — or 135,000 each year — have gestational diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. This condition can cause your baby to be larger than normal or have breathing trouble or very low blood sugar at birth, among other risks. Gestational diabetes also raises a women’s risk of premature birth and pre-eclampsia.

But a new analysis of close to 1 million women found that many are not being screened for this common condition. In fact, one in three women were not screened for gestational diabetes during pregnancy, an omission that could put both their own health, and that of their developing baby, at risk.

During pregnancy the placenta produces hormones that can make a woman insulin resistant, leading to elevated blood sugar levels that may harm the baby’s growth and development. It typically causes no symptoms, which is why screening is so important.

Further, a woman who has gestational diabetes has a greater risk of developing diabetes after pregnancy. In many cases the condition disappears after giving birth, but up to half of women with gestational diabetes will go on to develop long-term diabetes. Despite this, researchers found that 19 percent of women with gestational diabetes were not screened for type 2 diabetes after giving birth.

It’s not known exactly why some women develop diabetes during pregnancy and others don’t, but being overweight or having a family history of type 2 diabetes increases your risk, as does being over the age of 25.

The good news is that in many cases gestational diabetes can be entirely controlled with healthy eating habits — lots of veggies and lean protein — and regular exercise. Leading a healthy lifestyle is also one of the best ways to help prevent this condition in the first place, as well as lose a few pounds if you need to (losing weight if you’re overweight or obese will greatly lower your risk of both gestational and type 2 diabetes).

So if you’re currently pregnant or planning to become pregnant, make sure your health care practitioner screens you for this potentially serious — but typically entirely manageable — condition. The initial test, which involves drinking a sugary liquid and then having your blood sugar level tested, is typically done between weeks 24 and 28 of pregnancy, although may be done sooner if you’re at high risk

Obstetrics & Gynecology January 2011;117(1):61-8.

USAToday.com December 21, 2010

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The Functional Endocrinology Center of Colorado is passionate about improving the lives and lifestyles of individuals with Type II Diabetes and Hashimoto’s Disease. Call us at 303-302-0930 to schedule your complimentary consultation.

“Silent” Thyroid Troubles Increase Miscarriage, Fetal Death Risk

It’s well-known that untreated hypothyroidism can lead to miscarriage and other pregnancy complications. Now new research has shown that even subclinical hypothyroidism — a mild form of the condition that women are often unaware they have — increases the risk of miscarriage, and fetal death, as well.

In subclinical hypothyroidism, levels of circulating thyroid hormone are normal but thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels are increased. The researchers found that the risk of miscarriage appears to increase as TSH levels increase and Free T4 — the major hormone secreted by the thyroid gland — levels decrease.

However, the levels only have to be slightly off — still appearing normal on a lab test — to put the woman at risk. As the researchers stated, “This is the first study to show a risk for miscarriage with thyroid levels in the normal range.”

This is sure to renew debate over whether or not women should be routinely tested for thyroid problems during pregnancy. Currently only those with risk factors for thyroid disease are screened, which means many women with subclinical hypothyroidism, or even full-blown hypothyroidism and minimal symptoms, are missed.

Adding to the problem, conventional lab tests to diagnose the disease can be misleading, labeling thyroid hormones as within the normal range when a problem still exists.

To learn more about thyroid health and pregnancy, be sure to read What Every Woman Needs to Know About Hypothyroidism During Pregnancy. And, if you experience any symptoms of low-functioning thyroid, such as fatigue, unexplained weight gain, constipation, joint/muscle pain, dry skin, or cold intolerance, be sure to have your thyroid health thoroughly checked, ideally before becoming pregnant.

Clinical Thyroidology for Patients October 2010, Volume 3, Issue 10

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The Functional Endocrinology Center of Colorado is passionate about improving the lives and lifestyles of individuals with Type II Diabetes and Hashimoto’s Disease. Call us at 303-302-0930 to schedule your complimentary consultation.