Reproductive Outcomes and Nononcologic Complications After Radioactive Iodine Ablation for Well-Differentiated Thyroid Cancer

Background: Radioactive iodine (RAI) ablation is frequently performed after initial surgery for well-differentiated thyroid cancer (WDTC). We examined the frequency and timing of childbirth as well as nononcologic complications after RAI ablation for WDTC on a population level. Methods: A retrospective cohort study of 25,333 patients (18,850 women) with WDTC was performed using the California Cancer Registry and California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development database, 1999–2008. The primary outcomes were birthrate and median time to first live birth among women of childbearing age. Secondary outcomes were nononcologic diagnoses occurring outside the acute setting (>30 days) after ablation. Results: RAI ablation did not affect birthrate among women in the full dataset. However, in subgroup analyses, birthrate among women age 35–39 was significantly decreased in those who received RAI versus those who did not (11.5 versus 16.3 births per 1000 woman-years, p