ABSTRACT
Endocrine complications in pregnancy are common and potentially life-threatening. Pregnancy is associated with extensive maternal physiological changes to accommodate the needs of the mother and fetus. The diagnosis of endocrine conditions presenting during pregnancy can pose challenges because biochemical testing may be limited in pregnancy. Pregnancy results in major alterations in maternal thyroid hormone physiology. Thyroid disease is one of the most common endocrine abnormalities found in pregnancy. Maternal thyroid disease can have adverse effects on the pregnancy and the fetus. Thyrotoxicosis is a constellation of symptoms, signs, and risks resulting from excessive amounts of thyroid hormones. Untreated thyrotoxicosis may adversely affect the pregnancy, with increased rates of miscarriage, low birth weight, prematurity, eclampsia, and congenital birth defects. Familial gestational hyperthyroidism is an extremely rare cause of thyrotoxicosis in pregnancy and is caused by an autosomal dominant mutation in the thyrotropin receptor that is hypersensitive to the effects of human chorionic gonadotrophin.
