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Alex Stagnaro-Green, MD, MHPE, professor of Medicine and of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women's Health and Associate Dean for Curriculum and Faculty Development, discussed the risks of thyroid disease during pregnancy at the March of Dimes National Communications Advisory Council luncheon for reporters on December 12. The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.
Dr. Stagnaro-Green was interviewed for the December 13 broadcast of Fox & Friends, the network's morning show, and for Voices of America (VOA) a radio, satellite television and Internet broadcast outlet.
An estimated 27 million Americans have some form of thyroid disease, including many women of childbearing age - causing increased risks to their own health and that of their babies during pregnancy and after delivery.
Complications that can be caused by untreated maternal thyroid disease in pregnancy include severe depression, high blood pressure, or heart failure in the mother, and miscarriage, preterm delivery or birth defects in the baby. During pregnancy, the growing fetus is dependent on the mother's thyroid function, so thyroid disorders in women of childbearing age are of the utmost importance to detect and treat.
According to Dr. Stagnaro-Green, screening for thyroid disease should be offered at the first prenatal visit to all women who have a history of thyroid disease or who are experiencing symptoms because proper diagnosis and management of thyroid disease is crucial to having a healthy baby.
Thyroid disease is the second most common endocrine disease affecting reproductive age women. It occurs when the body produces too much or not enough thyroid hormones, which are crucial to the body's ability to regulate metabolism by converting oxygen and calories into energy.