[Study on the relation between iodine nutrition of pregnant women in different occasions and thyroid function of their neonates]
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 28, 2026

Modifying Levels of Maternal Dietary Folic Acid or Choline to Study the Impact of Deficiencies on Offspring Health Outcomes
Published on: June 28, 2024
Ronghua Zhou1, Yuehua Tao, Xiaoju Dong
1Hebei Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shijiazhuang, 050011, China.
Objective:
To study iodine nutrition of pregnant women in different occasions and thyroid function of their neonates.
Methods:
Urinary iodine of pregnant women and their serum T(3), T(4), FT(3), FT(4) were determined by chloric acid-digestion thermostatic assay and RIA, TSH determination by IRMA; neonatal umbilical cord blood TSH was determined by ELISA.
Results:
Median urinary iodine of pregnant women were 206.3 microg/L, 161.4 microg/L, 203.3 microg/L at 10 - 14 (first occasion), 23 - 27 (second occasion) and 39 - 40 (third occasion) week but the percentage that lower than 100 microg/L were 14.6%, 17.1%, 11.1% respectively. Serum T(3), T(4) of pregnant women was significantly higher than those women of premarital health inspection (PHIW, P < 0.001). The difference of serum T(3), T(4) of pregnant women at 10 - 14 and 39 - 40 week was not significant. Serum FT(3), FT(4) of pregnant women at 39 - 40 week were 2.61 +/- 0.47 pmol/L and 5.50 +/- 1.57 pmol/L respectively. The difference of serum TSH concentration at third occasion and first occasion of pre-pregnancy was significant but the difference of TSH frequency distribution in three groups was not significant (chi(2) = 1.138, P > 0.5). Blood TSH median neonatal umbilical cord was 1.99 mU/L but the percentage that higher than 5 mU/L was 9.4%.
Conclusion:
For those areas with high iodized salt coverage, pregnant women had had sufficient iodine supplement and good thyroid function. The percentage of neonates from iodine sufficient pregnant women with TSH > 5 mU/L was lower than 10%. Using the normal range of nonpregnant FT(3) and FT(4) to estimate the thyroid function of pregnant women could cause mis diagnosis.
Related Concept Videos
Synthesis and Regulation of Thyroid Hormones
Upon reaching the thyroid gland, TSH stimulates the follicular cells' active uptake of iodide ions from the blood. The ions diffuse to the apical surface of the cells and are oxidized to iodine. The iodine is then...
Functions of Thyroid Hormones
TH is indispensable for the normal development and maturation of the skeletal, muscular, and nervous systems during fetal and childhood growth. It facilitates bone mineral turnover and regulates protein synthesis in developing tissues, contributing significantly to overall growth and...
Redox Titration: Iodimetry and Iodometry
Radiological Investigation I: X-ray and CT
Goiter
Hypothyroidism II: Pathophysiology

