In Ancient Egypt and Roman times, enlargement of the thyroid gland in a young woman was considered a sign of pregnancy(500). It was noticed thousands of years ago that some changes occur in the thyroid gland during pregnancy. Today, it is a controversial issue whether the thyroid gland of every pregnant woman grows physiologically.
Thyroid diseases are more common in women of reproductive age than men. For this reason, the probability of facing a problem with the thyroid during pregnancy is quite high. Any thyroid disease can be diagnosed for the first time during pregnancy, or a woman who is known to have a thyroid disease and is followed for this reason may become pregnant during this follow-up. In addition, a normal pregnancy changes the production, circulation and destruction of thyroid hormones, which causes some diagnostic difficulties.
On the other hand, when evaluating thyroid functions in a pregnant woman, the duration of pregnancy must also be considered. Because the physiological changes that occur differ according to the stage of pregnancy. For example, while the change in serum thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG) level occurs mostly in the first trimester, rapid metabolism of thyroid hormones by the placenta begins towards the end of pregnancy. In addition to all these, it is known that pregnancy changes the course of a pre-existing autoimmune thyroid disease.
The course of such a disease may differ from each other in the early phase of pregnancy, towards the end of pregnancy and in the postpartum period. Postpartum period is an important time period for thyroid diseases. In the first year after birth, many thyroid dysfunctions occur as a result of primary thyroid diseases and pituitary diseases.
In recent years, very important information has been obtained about thyroid disease and pregnancy. Today, easy recognition and early treatment of thyroid diseases seen before and during pregnancy gives very good results for both mother and baby.
