However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), here are some risk factors that are known to increase the risk of a NTD: 1  A previous NTD-affected pregnancy makes it approximately 20x more likely that a woman will have another NTD-affected pregnancy. 2  Maternal insulin-dependent diabetes.
High levels of TSH in the blood stream typically signal that the thyroid is underperforming. TSH or thyroid stimulating hormone is a hormone produced in the anterior pituitary gland. This is used to help stimulate the thyroid to produce triiodothyronine (T3) or thyroxine (T4), hormones that help stimulate the metabolism.
slide 3 of 7. What is the sTSH Blood Test? TSH is measured to determine the amount of Thyroid Stimulating Hormone circulating in the blood. sTSH, or sensitive TSH, is a 3rd generation blood test that is more accurate than previous generations of the test. Because of it's sensitivity, diagnosis of thyroid problems can be made earlier, sometimes leading to treatment or monitoring before any symptoms have developed.