During pregnancy, the mother's body produces hormones that cause the thyroid gland to overwork, increasing the size of the goiter.
Ms. Nguyen Truc Quyen (33 years old, Tay Ninh ) has just undergone surgery to remove a goiter (thyroid goiter). The patient was discharged after 24 hours, in stable health, without complications.
In 2022, Ms. Quyen had a health screening and discovered a benign goiter measuring 0.5 cm. During pregnancy, the goiter increased in size, and she took medication as directed by her doctor. After giving birth, the goiter swelled, affecting her appearance. At the same time, the patient feared she had thyroid cancer.
After giving birth, Ms. Quyen's goiter increased in size rapidly. Photo: Nguyen Tram
In mid-June, she went to the Breast Surgery Department, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City for a check-up. Master - Doctor CKII Doan Minh Trong observed the patient's neck and saw a large goiter, ordered an ultrasound to record a size of 6 cm, continued to aspirate with a small needle under ultrasound guidance, determined the tumor was benign. The goiter was large and grew rapidly, causing the patient to lose confidence. If not operated on, the goiter could damage the laryngeal nerve, compress the esophagus, making it difficult for the patient to swallow, affecting eating and drinking.
"If thyroid surgery is not done carefully, the patient is at risk of hoarseness; bleeding within 24-48 hours after surgery; numbness and weakness in the arms and legs due to surgery affecting the parathyroid glands; fluid accumulation at the hole causing swelling and edema in the neck area," Dr. Trong assessed.
On June 26, Dr. Trong said that after 60 minutes, the surgical team removed the entire left thyroid lobe containing the large tumor, limiting damage to important organs such as the recurrent laryngeal nerve, parathyroid gland, blood vessels... Immediately after surgery, Ms. Quyen spoke normally, without hoarseness.
Dr. Trong added that during pregnancy, the mother's body produces gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), which causes the thyroid gland to overactive and become about 10-15% larger than before, especially in women with iodine deficiency. Women with goiter during pregnancy will have a rapid increase in goiter size.
Doctor Trong and the team of doctors from the Breast Surgery Department, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, performed surgery to remove the goiter for Ms. Quyen. Photo: Nguyen Tram
Benign goiter is a condition in which the thyroid gland becomes enlarged or abnormally swollen due to excessive or uneven growth of thyroid cells. This condition is usually not dangerous.
However, large benign goiters can also lead to nerve damage (phrenic nerve palsy, Horner's syndrome, and recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy). In addition, an overly large thyroid gland compresses the esophagus, making it difficult for the patient to swallow, affecting eating and drinking, and causing malnutrition.
There are many causes of goiter, of which 2.2 billion people worldwide have goiter due to iodine deficiency. In addition, there are the following causes: genetics, living in iodine-deficient areas, Graves' disease, thyroiditis, and pituitary tumors that secrete thyroid-stimulating hormone.
Most benign goiters have no signs or symptoms other than swelling in the neck. In many cases, the goiter is so small that it is only discovered incidentally during a health check-up, test, or X-ray.
For small goiters, normal thyroid function, not causing difficulty swallowing, breathing... will be monitored, examined periodically without treatment. For large goiters, affecting aesthetics, thyroid function, causing difficulty swallowing, breathing... the doctor will prescribe medication and surgery.
Doctor Trong advises pregnant women with goiter to have regular check-ups to ensure the health of both mother and baby. In addition, in the daily diet, it is necessary to supplement enough sea fish, iodized salt; practice a healthy lifestyle (do not stay up late, limit alcohol, beer, smoking, exercise at least 30 minutes a day) to improve overall health, prevent many diseases: diabetes, goiter, hyperthyroidism...
Duc An
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