Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 8, 2026

Fertility Preservation Through Oocyte Vitrification: Clinical and Laboratory Perspectives
Published on: September 16, 2021
Over hypothyroidism in a woman undergoing controlled ovarian hyperstimulation
Scilla Del Ghianda1, Eleonora Loconte1, Maria Ruggiero2
1Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Section of Endocrinology, Research Center of Excellence AmbiSEN.
Objective:
Thyroid function and gonadal axis are related throughout a woman's fertile period. Modifications of thyroid hormone levels have been reported as a consequence of controlled ovarian stimulation for infertility.
Methods:
A 28-year-old woman with regular menses and previous evidence of euthyroidism underwent controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) for assisted reproductive technology (ART). Free thyroxine (FT4), free triiodothyronine (FT3), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), and autoantibodies against thyroperoxidase and thyroglobulin (TPOAb and TgAb, respectively) were measured before COH. FT4, FT3, and TSH were re-evaluated 6 days, 2 weeks (during oocyte retrieval), and 1 month after the beginning of the procedure.
Results:
The baseline evaluation revealed subclinical autoimmune hypothyroidism. The patient was hypothyroidic at 6 days and 2 weeks and spontaneously returned to euthyroidism 1 month after COH.
Conclusion:
This is the first case of a woman with an unknown subclinical autoimmune hypothyroidism who developed overt and transient hypothyroidism as a consequence of COH. Careful thyroid evaluation is advised for women undergoing COH.
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