Pregnancy and Thyroid Cancer: What To Do?

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07/06/23

Thyroid cancer occasionally occurs in pregnant women. This poses a specific challenge for the management of this thyroid cancer. OB/GYN doctors are very good at examining young women’s necks and frequently find lumps in the thyroid gland (thyroid nodules). They often diagnose of papillary thyroid cancer in their women patients and thus thyroid cancer can be diagnosed during a pregnancy. What is important is that these are young, healthy women and in the vast majority of cases have a very curable thyroid cancer. In Dr. Clayman’s practice, he has never performed thyroid surgery on a pregnant woman. The young woman will have an ultrasound when she is diagnosed and have strict measurements taken which will be monitored with ultrasound throughout the pregnancy. Dr. Clayman tells the pregnant young woman with thyroid cancer to enjoy her pregnancy, to eat well, and to breast feed. Once she has fulfilled her commitment to breastfeed her child, then they will proceed with surgery. For more information, see our video on “New Diagnosis of Thyroid Cancer” and you will see that the first rule is to relax. In almost every case you have time to research and make good decisions. Thyroid cancer in a pregnant woman is the same: relax, we almost always have time to cure the cancer after the pregnancy. Do not be in a hurry.