Physiological changes in pregnancy and their influence on the endocrine investigation.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Physiological changes in pregnancy may result in significant alterations in endocrine hormone profiles, serum and urine electrolytes and endocrine gland morphology on imaging. Pregnancy-specific pathophysiological processes may also affect the results for endocrine tests. Investigation of endocrine disorders in pregnancy requires knowledge of these changes and awareness of the safety of dynamic hormone testing and imaging for the mother and foetus. OBJECTIVE: This review seeks to outline the important physiological changes in pregnancy affecting reference intervals of basal and dynamic endocrine tests in pregnancy and the scenarios in which these changes are clinically significant, the pregnancy-specific disorders that may affect the investigation of endocrine disorders, and the safety of dynamic testing and imaging. CONCLUSION: Awareness of the effect of physiological changes, and the potential impact of pregnancy-specific disorders of endocrine tests, and the safety of imaging is crucial to the management of endocrine disorders in pregnancy.