Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 11, 2026

Synchronous Triplanar Reconstruction Integrated with Color Doppler Mapping for Precise and Rapid Localization of Thyroid Lesions
Published on: February 9, 2024
[Frequency of subclinical thyroid problems among women during the first trimester of pregnancy]
Lorena Mosso1, Alejandra Martínez, María Paulina Rojas
1Departamento de Endocrinología, Hospital Sótero del Río, Chile. mosso@med.puc.cl
Background:
Thyroid hormones play an important role in fetal neural and cognitive development. Therefore thyroid abnormalities should be detected and treated early during pregnancy.
Aim:
To assess the frequency and risk factors for functional thyroid disorders during the first trimester of pregnancy.
Material And Methods:
A blood sample was obtained from women during their first trimester of pregnancy, consulting in a prenatal care facility. Women with known thyroid diseases were excluded from the study. Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), total thyroxine (T4) and free thyroxine (fT4) were measured by electrochemoluminiscence. Antithyroid peroxidase antibodies (anti TPO) were measured by enzyme immunoassay.
Results:
Five hundred and ten women aged 25.7 ± 6.6 years were assessed. The frequency of clinical hypothyroidism was 0.6%, subclinical hypothyroidism 35.3% and clinical hyperthyroidism 1%. Five percent of women with hypothyroidism and 3.5% of euthyroid women had positive anti TPO antibodies. There was no association between the frequency of thyroid diseases and risk factors for thyroid diseases.
Conclusions:
There is a high frequency of subclinical thyroid diseases among women consulting in this prenatal care clinic.
Related Concept Videos
Hypothyroidism II: Pathophysiology
Hyperthyroidism I: Introduction
Hyperthyroidism II: Pathophysiology
Graves' Disease I: Introduction
Graves Disease II: Pathophysiology
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...