Thyroid in pregnancy

Question 1

What are the iodine requirements that should be in a prenatal vitamin?

Answer 1

150ug of iodine

Question 2

Why do iodine need increase in pregnancy (2 reasons)?

Answer 2

• Fetal needs men overall increase in need for iodine.

- Increased globular filtration rated means more iodine is excreted, and more is need to make up for the increased loss

Question 3

How does HCG impact thyroid levels

Answer 3

HCG mimics TSH. It can increase T3 and T4 (TSH will be lower) causing a temporary increase in thyroid function when HCG level are highest in pregnancy in the later first trimester. Rarely if HCG is really high thyroid levels can rise to severe levels.

Question 4

How is the size of the thyroid impacted by pregnancy

Answer 4

Size of thyroid physiologically increases by about 15%