Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: The prevalence of these disorders in pregnant women is relatively high and may affect mother and foetus adversely if they are not evaluated and treated appropriately. Therefore, their diagnosis and treatment is very important. On the other signs and symptoms of thyroid disease can often be masked by the physiologic changes of pregnancy and are not found. The aim of this study was to evaluate the physiological symptoms similar to thyroid disorders and their incidence in pregnant women without thyroid disorders.

Materials and Methods: This study is a population based cross sectional study. A total number of 1600 pregnant women were selected with population based cluster method in prenatal care centres. After questioning the women about the symptoms of thyroid disease and relevant clinical examination, blood samples were taken for thyroid tests and serum T₄, TSH, T3 uptake and TPOab were measured.

Result: 63.5% of the participants in this study had normal thyroid function. The prevalence of overt hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism were 3.8 and 0.8%, respectively and 29.8% of patients had subclinical hypothyroidism. 64.0% of pregnant women without thyroid dysfunction had one or more of the symptoms of thyroid disorders. 24.3% of them had one or two symptoms and 41.5% of them have three or more of the symptoms of thyroid disorders in pregnancy. Most symptoms was laziness and drowsiness (30.3%), followed by fatigue (20.3%). 2.2% of pregnant women have goitre and the symptoms were minimal.

Discussion: The correct planning in order to evaluate and diagnose thyroid disorders during pregnancy is important. Understanding the value and interpretation of thyroid function tests during normal pregnancy is necessary to discriminate between anticipated changes, pathological changes appear.