Correlation of Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes with Postpartum Thyroid Function and Autoimmunity Status in Euthyroid Women

Occurrence of maternal or fetal complications during pregnancy may be related to development of postpartum thyroid dysfunction based on the underlying thyroid autoimmune status.  The purpose of this study wasto investigate the incidence of thyroid dysfunction after delivery in euthyroid mothers who have experienced adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Among 387 euthyroid pregnant women, 118 experienced adverse pregnancy outcomes out of which only 96 subjects completed the study. The level of thyroperoxidase antibody in the first week after delivery and thyroid function tests including Total T4, T3RU and TSH three months after delivery were measured by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay method. SPSS version 22 was used to analyze the data and the significance level was defined as p<0.05.

Thyroperoxidase antibody was positive in 14 participants (14.6%). Overall maternal and fetal complications in the group with positive thyroperoxidase antibody were more than the group without this antibody (p<0.001). Total T4 level was significantly (p=0.02) higher in the group with negative thyroperoxidase antibody (8.03±1.91) comparing with the positive antibody group (6.72±1.96). Overt hypothyroidism was the only thyroid dysfunction that had a significant relationship with thyroid autoimmune status three months after delivery (p=0.02).

This study indicates the possible occurrence of thyroid dysfunction after delivery in euthyroid mothers who have experienced maternal or fetal pregnancy complications.