Читать книгу Assisted Reproduction Techniques - Группа авторов - Страница 127

1  Q1 Is levothyroxine safe to be taken in pregnancy? A1. Yes. Levothyroxine is identical to the natural thyroid hormone you produce and replaces the deficiency you have. Inadequate replacement will increase your risk of pregnancy loss and complications. Thyroxine requirements go up during ovarian stimulation and in pregnancy, so we recommend increasing your dose of levothyroxine at the start to prevent your thyroid function becoming abnormal.

2  Q2 Will taking too much levothyroxine harm my baby? A2. little too much levothyroxine taken over a short period of time does not harm your pregnancy, but too little levothyroxine is more likely to lead to complications. So, we would aim to keep your thyroid function at the more favorable end of the normal range. This means that we have to monitor your thyroid function regularly during pregnancy and adjust the dose accordingly.

3  Q3 If the drugs I take to control my overactive thyroid could cause abnormalities in the baby should I not stop them at the start of pregnancy? A3. The absolute additional risk of abnormalities with these drugs is still relatively small around 2–3%. However, the risk of pregnancy loss and other serious complications with uncontrolled hyperthyroidism is 50% or more. Hence the risk‐benefit ratio is very much in favor of continued treatment at the start of pregnancy if your hyperthyroidism has not been under control. We will monitor your thyroid function regularly to ensure you are kept well‐controlled on as low a dose of the drug as possible. In many cases the drug can be gradually tailed off and stopped later in pregnancy.

4  Q4 Why do I need my thyroid function checked so often during pregnancy? A4. There are a lot of hormonal changes occurring as your pregnancy progresses. The largest changes occur in the first half of pregnancy. These changes influence your thyroid condition and also alter the requirements for your thyroid treatment. Regular testing ensures that your thyroid function is optimal so that pregnancy complications and harms to your baby can be minimized.