Complications May Be Tied To Thyroid

According to HealthDay News, a study shows that pregnant women who have the antibodies that indicate early thyroid disease are three times as likely to experience separation of the placenta during labor.  The study goes on to say that neither screening nor thyroid treatment offer any benefits.

Thyroid peroxidase (TPO) is an enzyme that allows iodine into the thyroid hormones.  When an autoimmune disease is present, the body will create antibodies against this enzyme, preventing the iodine into the hormones.

In the study, 17,298 women were analyzed for their anti-TPO levels prior to reaching 20 weeks of pregnancy.  Then the babies’ and mother’s health were compared to these levels after birth.  What they found was that all other pregnancy complications were the same as those women without the antibodies, with the exception of placental abruption (separation of the placenta).

Fear not, however, the health of the baby was not compromised by the status of the mother’s antibodies, the study showed.

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