Maternal thyroid functions in pre-eclampsia

Objective: In this study, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between pre-eclampsia and thyroid profile. Material and Method: In this case control study, serum concentrations of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free triiodothyronine (FT3) and free thyroxine (FT4) were prospectively measured in fifty preeclamptic patients compared with thirty normotensive pregnant controls before labor. Both groups were composed of various pregnant females in the third trimester. Two groups were also compared with regard to obstetrical outcomes. Results: Levels of TSH, FT3 and FT4 showed no significant difference between the pre-eclamptic group and normotensive controls. Regarding obstetrical outcomes; the difference was found to be significant for gestational age when studying labor and birth-weight between two groups. Preeclamptic patients delivered at earlier gestation and had lower infant birth-weights compared with normotensive controls. Also, we did not find any statistically significant correlation between thyroid function and birth-weight in both groups. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that thyroid function does not change in pre-eclampsia. Therefore, the identification of thyroid hormone in pregnancy can not help obstetricians to predict the occurrence of pre-eclampsia.