Thyroid medication during pregnancy requires careful dose adjustments and regular TSH monitoring to protect fetal brain development. Levothyroxine is safe and essential-most women need a 20-30% increase right after conception.
Hypothyroidism in Pregnancy: What You Need to Know About Risks, Symptoms, and Management
When you're pregnant, your body changes in ways you might not expect—like how your thyroid, a small gland at the base of your neck that controls metabolism and energy use. Also known as thyroid gland, it works harder during pregnancy to support both you and your growing baby. If your thyroid isn’t producing enough hormone, that’s hypothyroidism in pregnancy, a condition where the thyroid doesn’t make enough hormones to meet the increased demands of pregnancy. It’s more common than you think, and left untreated, it can raise the risk of preterm birth, low birth weight, or even developmental delays in the child.
Many women don’t even know they have it because the symptoms—fatigue, weight gain, dry skin, constipation—look a lot like normal pregnancy side effects. But here’s the key difference: if your TSH levels, a blood test that measures thyroid-stimulating hormone, used to screen for thyroid dysfunction. are too high in early pregnancy, your doctor will likely recommend treatment. The standard fix is levothyroxine, a synthetic form of thyroid hormone that’s safe and essential during pregnancy. It’s not risky—it’s necessary. Your dose may need adjusting every few weeks as your pregnancy progresses, so regular blood tests are part of the plan.
Not every woman with low thyroid function needs medication, but if you’ve had thyroid issues before, have a family history, or tested positive for thyroid antibodies, your doctor will monitor you closely. Even if you feel fine, skipping treatment isn’t worth the risk to your baby’s brain development. The good news? Once you’re on the right dose, most women go on to have healthy pregnancies and babies.
What you’ll find below are real, practical posts that break down how hypothyroidism affects pregnancy, what tests to ask for, how levothyroxine works in your body, and what to watch out for—no fluff, no guesswork. These aren’t theory pieces. They’re written by people who’ve been there, or by doctors who see this every day.
