Prevalence of Iodine Insufficiency Is High Among Pregnant and Lactating Women in Northern Bangladesh Three Decades After Initiating Mandatory Salt Iodization

Optimum Iodine status during pregnancy and lactation is crucial for normal fetal growth and child development. We assessed the urinary iodine concentration of pregnant and lactating women to determine their iodine status and measured salt iodine from their households. We collected spot urine samples and corresponding household salt samples from 80 pregnant women (37 and 43 second and third-trimester women, respectively) and 49 lactating women (with children