Is it necessary to test thyroid function before pregnancy?

Pregnancy is a very important thing for women and their families. It means adding a new member to the family, which is a happy thing. Women need to have this check before they get pregnant, which can effectively understand women's physical condition and whether they can give birth to a healthy fetus. There are many things that need to be checked, so is it necessary to have a thyroid function test before pregnancy? Let me introduce it below.

Pre-pregnancy thyroid function tests are very necessary. The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped organ located in front of the trachea in the neck. It plays an important role in the reproduction of female offspring. If the thyroid gland function is disordered, it affects many organs, including female gonads, interferes with human reproductive physiology, reduces the probability of conception, is detrimental to the outcome of pregnancy, and can easily lead to embryonic arrest and miscarriage. Both hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism can cause menstrual irregularities, increase the risk of miscarriage, and may have long-term effects on the health of offspring.

It is worth noting that thyroid function faces tremendous challenges during pregnancy. Before 12 weeks, the fetus's own thyroid function is not yet fully developed, and the thyroid hormone needed for the fetus's growth and development comes entirely from the mother; from 12 to 20 weeks, the fetus's thyroid function gradually forms, and it can synthesize thyroid hormones on its own, but part of the thyroid hormone it needs still comes from the mother; after 21-24 weeks, as the fetus's thyroid function matures, it begins to use its own thyroid hormone as the main source, supplemented by the mother's thyroid hormone.

It is precisely because of the development process of the fetus's thyroid function that the mother's thyroid disease during pregnancy has a huge impact on the development of the fetus. For example, hypothyroidism during pregnancy has become one of the factors causing neurological and intellectual damage to offspring. The early stage of pregnancy, that is, the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, is the first rapid development period of the fetal brain. If the expectant mother suffers from hypothyroidism during this period, that is, the maternal thyroid hormone level remains low and cannot provide sufficient thyroid hormone for fetal brain development, it will affect the fetal brain development and even cause irreversible damage.