Thyroid function in the third trimester of pregnancy and after delivery in an area of adequate iodine intake.
OBJECTIVE
To establish whether the higher thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels and lower levels of the 2 free thyroid hormones noted toward the end of pregnancy are in relation with iodine supply.


METHODS
We compared these hormones' levels in the third trimester of pregnancy and 4 months after delivery in 116 consecutive women without thyroid disease and otherwise healthy. The study was conducted in Slovenia, an iodine-sufficient area. The Mann-Whitney test, the Kruskal-Wallis rank test, and Spearman analysis were used for statistical analysis.


RESULTS
In the third trimester TSH was significantly higher and both free thyroid hormones were significantly lower than after delivery (P=0.003 and P<0.001), but the free thyroxine to free triiodothyronine ratios in the third trimester and 4 months after delivery did not significantly differ. Urinary iodine concentration (UIC) was significantly higher during pregnancy than after delivery (P=0.044). We found no significant correlations between UIC and TSH or between UIC and both free thyroid hormones during pregnancy or after delivery.


CONCLUSIONS
The decrease of both free thyroid hormones in the third trimester of pregnancy is most likely due to reasons that are not related to iodine supply.
University Children's Hospital, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Petja
P
Fister
Simona
S
Gaberscek
Katja
K
Zaletel
Blaz
B
Krhin
Sergej
S
Hojker
Ksenija
K
Gersak
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007455:Iodine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000652:urine; D049590:Postpartum Period; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000502:physiology*; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D011446:Prospective Studies; D017524:Slovenia; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013960:Thyroid Function Tests; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000378:metabolism*; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000097:blood; D013974:Thyroxine / Q000097:blood; D014284:Triiodothyronine / Q000097:blood; D055815:Young Adult
D014284:Triiodothyronine; D013972:Thyrotropin; D007455:Iodine; D013974:Thyroxine