Women after a thyroidectomy are usually placed on thyroid medication, and if your thyroid hormones are improved then your chances of ovulating and getting pregnant are significantly improved.

An undiagnosed thyroid condition can make it difficult to conceive. It can also cause problems during pregnancy itself. Once the over- or underactive thyroid is under control, however, there is no reason why you should not have a successful pregnancy and a healthy baby.

The thyroid makes hormones that help your body work. If it makes too little or too much of these hormones, you may have problems during pregnancy. Untreated thyroid conditions during pregnancy are linked to serious problems, including premature birth, miscarriage and stillbirth.

Absolutely — but hyperthyroidism (an overactive thyroid gland) and hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid gland) can have a negative effect on fertility and make conception more challenging. That’s because both conditions have been linked to irregular menstrual cycles.

The increase in thyroid size in iodine-deficient areas is probably due to autoregulatory mechanisms of iodine on thyroid growth. The hypothesis is supported by the fact that, during pregnancy, thyroid volume and thyroid function adapt in a physiological way to meet the increased demands for iodine and energy.

TSH levels in the mother decrease as hCG levels rise. However, if the mother has autoimmune thyroid disease with high levels of antibodies to thyroid gland, such as thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) or thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb), the thyroid gland may not respond as well to hCG.

If left untreated, maternal hyperthyroidism poses a risk for both mother and baby. Pregnant women with uncontrolled hyperthyroidism can develop high blood pressure. There is also an increased risk of miscarriage, premature birth, and having a baby with a low birth weight.

What are the symptoms of hypothyroidism?

• Feeling tired.
• Unable to stand cold temperatures.
• Hoarse voice.
• Swelling of the face.
• Weight gain.
• Constipation.
• Skin and hair changes, including dry skin and loss of eyebrows.
• Carpal tunnel syndrome (hand tingling or pain)

When hypothyroidism is the reason for infertility, taking thyroid medication will enable most women to conceive, from as soon as six weeks after treatment, according to a study published in February 2015 in the IOSR Journal of Dental and Medical Sciences.

SIZE CHANGES. The thyroid gland can increase in size during pregnancy (enlarged thyroid = goiter). However, pregnancy-associated goiters occur much more frequently in iodine-deficient areas of the world. It is relatively uncommon in the United States.

Estrogen increases the amount of thyroid hormone binding proteins, and this increases the total thyroid hormone levels but the “Free” hormone (the amount that is not bound and can be active for use) usually remains normal. The thyroid is functioning normally if the TSH and Free T4 remain in the trimester-specific normal ranges throughout pregnancy.

Targeting this range of free hormone levels will minimize the risk to the baby of developing hypothyroidism or goiter. Maternal hypothyroidism should be avoided. Therapy should be closely monitored during pregnancy. This is typically done by following thyroid function tests (TSH and thyroid hormone levels) monthly.

One right paratracheal mediastinal soft tissue nodule was visualized on the images of CTA. This right paratracheal soft tissue mass was found to be ectopic benign thyroid tissue by histological analysis of the biopsied tissue samples.