This article discusses how Hashimoto’s disease affects fertility and gestation.
It also explains the impact that the condition can have on you after you deliver.
Verywell / Jessica Olah
Does Hashimoto’s Affect Fertility?
Verywell / Jessica Olah
Hashimotos diseaseis anautoimmunethyroid disorder.
That means your immune system mistakes your thyroid gland for a pathogensomething that can make you sick.
It launches an attack and tries to destroythyroidcells.
Damage from that attack makes it hard for the gland to produce enough thyroid hormone.
Low thyroid hormone levels can make your periods irregular.
That can make it hard for you to get pregnant.
Taking the right dose of replacement thyroid hormones should regulate your periods and help you conceive.
Its safest to wait to get pregnant until your thyroid disease is well controlled.
Of course, not all pregnancies are planned.
If you have untreated or undertreated Hashimotos and find yourself pregnant, contact your doctor right away.
You may need an obstetrician who specializes in high-risk pregnancies.
It is treatable, though.
Your OB-GYN can help you find treatments that get ovulation going again.
This treatment should be started between 12 and 28 weeks, but preferably before 16 weeks.
If you develop preeclampsia, the safest thing for you is to deliver the baby.
But thats often not the safest option for the baby.
That can help if the baby has to be delivered early.
Anemia
Anemiainvolves lowred blood cellsorhemoglobin(an important protein in the blood).
It can:
Usually, anemia symptoms dont show up until your cell counts are really low.
They can include:
The main treatment for anemia is iron supplements.
Your doctor may also tell you to eat adiet rich in iron.
That’s partly due to a thyroid hormone imbalance.
Levels of testosterone and estradiol (a throw in ofestrogen) are often low.
However, experts dont yet fully understand how this works.
Common symptoms of a miscarriage include:
Not all bleeding in the first trimestersignals a miscarriage.
Some research shows that proper thyroid treatment before pregnancy can lower miscarriage risk.
But it’s not clear whether hormone levels during pregnancy have an effect.
Several treatments that affect the immune system have been suggested.
So far none is proven effective at reducing the Hashimotos-related miscarriage risk.
It delivers nutrients and oxygen from your blood into the baby’s.
In aplacental abruption, the placenta pulls away from youruterusbefore childbirth.
Its most common in the third trimester.
But it can happen anytime in the second half of your pregnancy.
The abruption takes away the baby’s blood and oxygen.
That can lead to premature delivery.
In rare cases, it causes stillbirth.
It can also make you lose a lot of blood.
A moderate or severe abruption is a life-threatening emergency for you and your baby.
Symptoms of placental abruption include:
Doctors can’t reattach your placenta after an abruption.
However, sometimes the problem repairs itself.
How Often Is Hashimoto’s Diagnosed During Pregnancy?
Hashimotos is diagnosed in 2% to 3% of pregnancies.
Potential Postpartum Complications With Hashimoto’s
Your thyroid disorder can affect you after your baby is born.
That period is called postpartum.
Postpartum Hemorrhage
Hashimotos disease puts you at risk for heavy bleeding after delivery.
This is calledpostpartum hemorrhage.
It can happen within 24 hours of giving birth.
It’s most common when you’re delivering the placenta.
Contractions that help deliver the placenta put pressure on the blood vessels attached to it.
That makes them stop bleeding.
However, when contractions arent strong enough, the blood vessels continue to bleed.
That causes a hemorrhage.
Tears in other organs or clotting problems can also cause postpartum hemorrhage.
That’s especially true if you’ve had a cesarean section.
However, it can happen after you’ve gone home.
Treatment of postpartum hemorrhage is aimed at stopping the bleeding as quickly as possible.
This is especially true if your levothyroxine dosage increased during pregnancy.
Pregnancy shouldn’t have a long-term effect on the severity of your Hashimoto’s.
Most people eventually go back to their pre-pregnancy dosage.
Let your doctor know if you have symptoms that could point tohigh thyroid levelsdue to overmedicating.
Those can include:
Does Hashimoto’s Impact Breastfeeding?
Hashimotos disease shouldnt affect your ability to breastfeed.
Small amounts of levothyroxine may get into your breast milk.
Its believed to be safe for your baby, though.
Having good thyroid hormone levels before pregnancy can lower your risk of some problems.
After delivery, you may be at risk of postpartum hemorrhage.
Your healthcare provider will closely monitor your health and Hashimoto’s treatment during and after pregnancy.
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