Posted: 3/18/2005
DVIF&G; ISsues Medical Alert
All women of reproductive age with a family history of thyroid disease or an autoimmune disease such as diabetes mellitus type 1 or lupus should be screened for hypothyroidism immediately. If left undetected and not treated, the condition can lead to mental retardation and other cognitive problems in newborns.

“Treating pregnant women with hypothyroidism is imperative to safeguard the proper development of the fetus,” says Dr. George S. Taliadouros, founder of the Delaware Valley Institute of Fertility & Genetics (DVIF&G;) in Marlton, Vineland, and Lawrenceville who recently completed a literature review on the subject.

Dr. Taliadouros compares the screening to that for high cholesterol or high blood pressure.

“You don’t know that you have these conditions unless you’re screened for them. It’s the same with hypothyrodism. You may feel fine and you may be fine, but your baby will not. If you have hypothyroidism and don’t know it, your baby may end up in Special Education classes. There are many factors that pregnant women cannot control, but they can control this. There’s no reason for any baby to be deprived of thyroid hormone and be born with irreversible thyroid damage,” he says. “If you are at high risk to have hypothyroidism and you haven’t been screened, then ask your doctor to screen for the condition immediately.”

A common endocrine disorder, hypothyroidism occurs when the thyroid gland produces too little hormone to function properly. Common symptoms of the condition include weight gain, constipation, and mental and physical fatigue. Since many of the symptoms are often confused with hormonal changes, premenstrual syndrome, or depression, the condition can often go undetected. Some women experience no symptoms but can still have low thyroid hormone, a condition called subclinical hypothyroidism.

Hypothyroidism is made worse by a lack of iodine in the diet. Some 15 percent of American women do not take in the recommended daily amount (RDA) of iodine, which is easily obtained by eating bread fortified with sodium, taking a prenatal vitamin, and using iodized salt.

An expert in infertility, Dr. Taliadouros is an Assistant Professor in the OB/GYN department at the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and a member of the OB/GYN staff at Virtua Health System and South Jersey Health System. He resides in Voorhees, NJ.