Thyroid function abnormalities and thyroid autoantibodies in Danish pregnant women

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology
• Reproductive Medicine
• Public Health

Background:

• Thyroid dysfunction during pregnancy poses risks.
• Routine screening for thyroid abnormalities is debated.
• Understanding prevalence in a large cohort is needed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the occurrence of thyroid function abnormalities in a large cohort of pregnant women.
• To assess the prevalence of thyroid autoantibodies in pregnant women.
• To investigate the association between thyroid abnormalities and diagnosed thyroid disease.

Main Methods:

• A cohort study of 14,323 pregnant women in Denmark (2011-2015).
• Measurement of TSH, free thyroxine, thyroid peroxidase, and thyroglobulin antibodies.
• Utilized nationwide registers to identify maternal thyroid disease.

Main Results:

• 15.2% of pregnant women had thyroid function abnormalities.
• 14.9% were positive for thyroid autoantibodies.
• Women with known or later diagnosed thyroid disease showed higher rates of abnormalities.

Conclusions:

• Thyroid dysfunction and autoantibodies are prevalent in pregnant Danish women.
• Concerns exist regarding unidentified and undertreated thyroid disease.
• Findings support further investigation into routine thyroid screening benefits and risks.