Endokrine Erkrankungen in der Schwangerschaft

Thyroid diseases and diabetes are the most common endocrine diseases in pregnancy. Besides the enhanced iodine demand in pregnancy physicians should take notice of autoimmune thyroiditis as a common disease. Screening of proper thyroid function is necessary as the symptoms are unspecific. A substitution of thyroid hormones should be based on pregnancy-specific standard values. If a rare hyperthyroidism occurs, both mother and fetus have to be treated with antithyroid drugs and be under constant surveillance. Preexisting diabetes is still a rare disease in childbearing women. It requires risk stratification by properly taking the diabetic and obstetric history to organize adequate interdisciplinary care. Physiological changes in pregnancy require constant adaptation to the variable insulin demands. As glucose metabolism is important for fetal development, especially fetal growth should be taken into account to assure individualized therapy.