HEALTH NEWS

Study Title:

Third of pregnant women iron deficient, risk thyroid-related pregnancy complications

Study Abstract

Pregnant women need to make enough thyroid hormone for the full development of their babies' brains, which is especially critical during the first semester when the fetus hasn't developed a thyroid gland of its own. Thyroid autoimmunity is a disease where the immune system mistakenly destroys healthy thyroid cells; causing thyroid hormone levels to fall. It can be particularly dangerous for pregnant women.

Iron is important for the normal functioning of thyroid peroxidase (TPO), a protein essential for the correct functioning of the thyroid. Iron deficiency affects one in five of the world's population, but can be more prevalent in pregnant women, who need triple the daily requirements to make more red blood cells and help the fetus and placenta grow.

In this study, researchers from the Saint-Pierre University Hospital (ULB) in Brussels followed 1900 pregnant women in their first trimester. They measured the women's blood ferritin (an indicator of iron deficiency), antibodies against the thyroid peroxidase (indicating thyroid autoimmunity), the thyroid hormone free thyroxine (FT4) and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). TSH measurements are considered the most sensitive screening test for thyroid disease, as a doubling in FT4 produces a hundredfold change in TSH.