Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Autoimmunity

Thyroid autoantibodies and pregnancy risk

Isolated studies have suggested that thyroid antibodies may signal an increased risk of miscarriage and/or preterm birth in pregnant women. A recent meta-analysis by Thangaratinam and colleagues concludes that a clear association appears evident. Less certain, however, is whether this pregnancy risk can be reduced with any treatment intervention.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Haddow, J. E. et al. Maternal thyroid deficiency during pregnancy and subsequent neuropsychological development of the child. N. Eng. J. Med. 341, 549–555 (1999).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Allan, W. C. et al. Maternal thyroid deficiency and pregnancy complications: implications for population screening. J. Med. Screen. 7, 127–130 (2000).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Glinoer, D. et al. Pregnancy in patients with mild thyroid abnormalities: maternal and neonatal repercussions. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 73, 421–427 (1991).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Iijima, T. et al. Effects of autoantibodies on the course of pregnancy and fetal growth. Obstet. Gynecol. 90, 364–369 (1997).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Thangaratinam, S. et al. Association between thyroid autoantibodies and miscarriage and preterm birth: meta-analysis of evidence. BMJ 342, d2616 (2011).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  6. Negro, R. et al. Levothyroxine treatment in euthyroid pregnant women with autoimmune thyroid disease: effects on obstetrical complications. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 91, 2587–2591 (2006).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Surks, M. I. et al. Subclinical thyroid disease: scientific review and guidelines for diagnosis and management. JAMA 291, 228–238 (2004).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Rai, R. S., Clifford, K., Cohen, H. & Regan, L. High prospective fetal loss rate in untreated pregnancies of women with recurrent miscarriage and antiphospholipid antibodies. Hum. Reprod. 10, 3301–3304 (1995).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Vanderpump, M. P. et al. The incidence of thyroid disorders in the community: a twenty-year follow-up of the Whickham Survey. Clin. Endocrinol. (Oxf.) 43, 55–68 (1995).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The author declares no competing financial interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Alexander, E. Thyroid autoantibodies and pregnancy risk. Nat Rev Endocrinol 7, 501–502 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrendo.2011.116

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrendo.2011.116

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing