Preeclampsia Linked to Reduced Thyroid Function

November 18, 2009 by Cathy Ribble
Filed under: News, Pregnancy

New research reveals that women who develop preeclampsia during pregnancy are at higher risk of reduced thyroid function later in life.

Preeclampsia is a condition which sometimes develops in the second half of pregnancy, leading to extremely high blood pressure for some women. While specific causes are not known, it is believed that high levels of proteins in the pregnant woman’s body might be a contributing factor.

The new research findings were published in the November 18 online edition of BMJ. The American and Norwegian researchers studied two groups of women, those who developed preeclampsia and those who didn’t.

The American study compared 140 healthy pregnant women who developed preeclampsia with 140 women who did not. The women who had preeclampsia had double the levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone as those who did not develop the preeclampsia condition.

In Norway, the study involved many more women for a longer period of time. This study followed 7,121 pregnant women for about 20 years. The findings showed that the risk of higher concentrations of the thyroid hormone were increased for women who had preeclampsia during their pregnancies, especially if it developed in two pregnancies.

Researchers recommend that doctors follow these patients closely, monitoring heart and kidney disease, as well as thyroid disease.