Effect of treatment with povidone-iodine vaginal pessaries on thyroid function

Twenty women suffering from candidal, trichomonal and non-specific vaginitis were treated by povidone-iodine vaginal pessaries twice daily for 14 days. Blood samples were obtained from patients before and 7 and 14 days after treatment for the determination of serum thyroid stimulating hormone, total thyroxine, free thyroxine, total triiodothyronine, free triiodothyronine, reverse triiodothyronine, thyroxine binding globulin and thyroglobulin by the corresponding specific 125I radioimmunoassay. In addition serum protein bound iodine was determined by a spectrophotometric method. Post-treatment values of these parameters after 7 and 14 days were not significantly different from the corresponding pretreatment values. Vaginal discharge disappeared in 82% of patients; with partial improvement in the remaining 18%. No clinical side effects and no clinical evidence of thyroid disorder were found in any of the women. These results indicate that treatment with povidone-iodine vaginal pessaries is effective in the treatment of different forms of vaginitis and their daily use in euthyroid, non-pregnant women is safe and has no effect on thyroid function.