Hyperthyroidism during pregnancy

Obstetrics services which have had experience with both the medical and surgical treatment of the hyperthyroid pregnant woman should be in the best position to evaluate the success of each form of management. The experience in managing this problem during the last 12 years at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center has been reviewed. Nineteen women with 20 pregnancies satisfied the criteria for inclusion in the study. Women managed with antithyroid therapy had a successful pregnancy outcome 70 per cent of the time. Twenty-eight per cent of the surgically treated patients had a successful pregnancy outcome and were free of surgical complications. We believe these results show a clear advantage for the nonsurgical management of the pregnant woman with hyperthyroidism.