Urinary iodine excretion and maternal thyroid function. During pregnancy and postpartum

To evaluate urinary iodine excretion during the course of pregnancy and postpartum in relation to maternal and neonatal thyroid function parameters in Saudi women living in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A prospective longitudinal study was conducted on Saudi normal pregnant women during the course of pregnancy (N=80), at term and 6-10 weeks postpartum (N=65), during the period January 1997 through to December 2000. Maternal urinary iodine excretion was determined together with serum levels of total thyroxine, total tri-iodothyronine, free thyroxine, free tri-iodothyronine, thyrotropin, reverse tri-iodothyronine, thyroxine-binding globulin and thyroglobulin. A group of non-pregnant woman (N=200) were included for comparative purposes. Data were also analyzed for significant trends using ANOVA. Neonatal serum levels of total thyroxine, total tri-iodothyronine, free thyroxine, thyrotropin, thyroxine-binding globulin, and thyroglobulin were also measured. Changes in urinary iodine ex...