A study of foetomaternal outcome among pregnant hypothyroid women

Abstract

During pregnancy one of the most common endocrinological disorder which are very often overlooked during pregnancy because of their nonspecific symptoms and the hypermetabloic state of pregnancy is Thyroid disorder. Optimal maternal thyroid function during pregnancy is important for both the mother and fetus.The study was planned to determine the prevalence of hypothyroidism using the classical reference range of normal serum TSH as 0.4-6.2μIU/L. It also aimed to study the foetomaternal outcome among pregnant hypothyroid women, using the classical reference range and a lower cut off (<3μIU/L) of TSH for diagnosing hypothyroidism in pregnancy.This was a longitudinal prospective study conducted in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Suryanagari Hospital, in collaboration with the Departments of Endocrinology, Laboratory Medicine & Paediatrics. Before starting the study, clearance was taken from ethical committee of the hospital. A total of 522 pregnant women attending the antenatal OPD were recruited to determine the prevalence of hypothyroidism on the basis of TSH evaluation. With our study we concluded that these very high prevalence of hypothyroidism in India and routine maternal thyroid function testing must be done as soon as pregnancy is confirmed thus saving lives of many infants who could lead rest of their lives happily and prosperously.