Private MD News

Thyroid disease may lead to birth complications

Category: Thyroid Diseases

Women who have recently become pregnant and have had hormone problems in the past may benefit from thyroid testing, as a new study from researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center has found individuals with thyroid disease are more likely to have placental separation during labor.

Researchers took blood samples from 17,298 women who were less than 20 weeks pregnant, and checked for markers of thyroid disease. Women who had a positive thyroid test were more than twice as likely to experience placental abruption, a complication in which the placenta separates from the uterus too early during birth.

While thyroid disease predicted an elevated risk of this potentially fatal complication, it did not increase the chances of the child being born with any other birth defects.

Brian Casey, who led the investigation, said that thyroid testing may not be necessary for all mothers-to-be, and only recommended the procedure for women who had a history of thyroid problems.