Endocrine Abstracts

Before and during pregnancy the thyroid gland and gonadal axes interact continuously. During reproductive life, normal levels of thyroid hormones are required for the maturation of oocytes. Hypothyroidism influences ovarian function by decreasing levels of sex-hormone-binding globulin and increasing the secretion of prolactin. In women of reproductive age, L-thyroxine therapy reverses hypothyroidism improving fertility and avoiding the need for use of assisted r...

Thyroid physiology demonstrates certain specificity during pregnancy. Due to the increased thyroid hormone formation, observed in the course of gestation, the requirements for dietary iodine increase substantially – according to the current recommendations – to 250 μg/day (but <500 μg/day). Therefore, additional iodine supplementation is advised at the level of 150 μg/day to be administered to every pregnant (and lactating) woman. Thyroid hyperstim...

Postpartum thyroiditis (PPT) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by lymphocytic infiltration of the thyroid gland and by the occurrence, in the postpartum period, of transient hyperthyroidism and/or transient hypothyroidism. Most women return to the euthyroid state by 1 year postpartum. The prevalence pf PPT is about 7.5–8.5%, then it represents a quite common disease, even if it may be asymptomatic in most cases. Women positive for thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOA...

The wealth of new information, published over the past two decades, has led an international committee (under the auspices of the American Endocrine Society) to propose clinical guidelines for the management of thyroid diseases associated with the pregnant state. These guidelines were reviewed and endorsed by the four world Thyroid Associations (ETA, ATA, LATS, AOTA) and the Endocrine Society. They have been published in August 2007 as a supplement to the Journal of Clinical E...