Pregnant? You may just want to have your thyroid hormone levels checked. If your thyroxine levels are even just a little bit off, you may be at an increased risk for delivery complications.
Thyroxine is the main hormone secreted by the thyroid, which is responsible for metabolism, protein production and the body’s sensitivity to other hormones. Too little thyroxine may increase your risk of miscarriage, premature birth, and pre-eclampsia. (Interestingly enough, pre-eclampsia has recently been linked to increased risk for thyroid problems later in life.) Now researchers are saying that even moderately low to normal levels of the hormone may put you at risk for a more complicated and difficult labor. Babies of mothers with low thyroxine tend to face the wrong way, which increases the mother’s risk for forceps delivery or cesarean. Hormone levels in the mother affect fetal movement, which in turn affect the baby’s ability to move into the correct position for birth. Up until 20 weeks gestation, babies do not make their own thyroid hormones and rely on the mother’s supply.
It is believed that this hormone problem is so common that it affects one in ten pregnancies. Diagnosis requires only a simple blood test. Researchers are suggesting that this blood test become part of the slew of tests that are routinely run during pregnancy.
In the meantime, there are things a pregnant woman can do to help her baby get into the correct position for birth. Ideally, you want your baby to be in the “occiput anterior” position. This means her head is down, facing your back, with her back on one side of the front of your tummy. In this position, she is able to tuck her chin into her chest, so that the smallest part of her head will press on the cervix first. This position will allow your baby to easily maneuver through the birth canal. Good posture and certain exercises can help ensure the baby gets to the right spot and stays there. For more information on optimal fetal positioning, check out this informative article here.