Experts urge routine testing of glandular function for women who have problems conceiving
WebMD News from HealthDay
By Robert Preidt
HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, Jan. 26, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- A new study supports the notion that thyroid disorders can cause significant reproductive problems for women.
The report's authors believe that testing for thyroid disease should be considered for women who have fertility problems and repeated early pregnancy loss.
The research, published Jan. 23 in The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist, found that 2.3 percent of women with fertility problems had an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism), compared with 1.5 percent of those in the general population. The condition is also linked with menstrual irregularity, the researchers said.
"Abnormalities in thyroid function can have an adverse effect on reproductive health and result in reduced rates of conception, increased miscarriage risk and adverse pregnancy and neonatal outcomes," said study co-author Amanda Jefferys in a journal news release. She is a researcher from the Bristol Center for Reproductive Medicine at Southmead Hospital in Bristol, England.
While the study couldn't prove cause-and-effect, one expert in the United States said he wasn't surprised by the findings.
"For over two decades now, we have noticed a strong link between hypo- and hyperthyroidism and infertility as well as adverse pregnancy and neonatal outcomes," said Dr. Tomer Singer, a reproductive endocrinologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.
"I support routine screening of the general population for thyroid dysfunction at the start of pregnancy and especially when seeking fertility treatment or struggling with miscarries," he added.
The thyroid produces hormones that play key roles in growth and development. According to the British researchers, changes in thyroid function can have a major effect on reproductive function before, during and after conception.
Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) affects about 0.5 percent of women of reproductive age. In children and teens, the condition is associated with a delay in reaching sexual maturity, according to the researchers.
In adult women, hypothyroidism is linked with menstrual problems and a lack of ovulation in some cases, the new study found.
The researchers also noted that thyroid disease is associated with an increased risk of problems during pregnancy, including miscarriage, preeclampsia, poor fetal growth, premature birth and stillbirth.
source : Thyroid Trouble May Harm Women's Fertility, Study Finds
