ABSTRACT
Background: Thyroid disorders are among the common endocrine disorders in pregnant woman after diabetes mellitus. Pregnancy is a stress test of maternal thyroid function. Several changes are observed in maternal thyroid function during pregnancy and failure to adapt to these physiological changes results in thyroid dysfunction. Subclinical hypothyroidism occurs in 10% of all pregnancies. Hypothyroidism has adverse effects on mother and fetus like anemia, pre eclampsia, preterm delivery, low birth weight and mental retardation of neonate. Decreased availability of thyroid hormones also impair neurological and intellectual development of the fetus. The relevance of this study is to document the association of hypothyroidism and its adverse effects on mother and fetus. Materials and methods: This prospective observational study was carried out during the period January 2020 to December 2020 (12 months) at Government General Hospital (GGH), Rangaraya Medical College, Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, India. Subjects of this study were 170 antenatal women in third trimester with singleton pregnancy admitted in the obstetric ward, and informed consent was obtained. Women were chosen irrespective of age, parity, residence and socioeconomic status. Women with multiple pregnancy, a known case of thyroid disorder, or any pre-existing medical disorder were excluded. Routine hematological parameters and estimation of T3, T4 and TSH was conducted. Results: In this study out of 170 cases, anemia was seen in-15.29%, pre eclampsia in-11.77%, GDM in-4.11%, Oligohydramnios with IUGR in-5.88%, preterm labor in-3.53%, LSCS in-35.29% and IUFD in-0.59% of case and low birth weight (8.24%), Hyperbilirubinemia (3.53%) and NICU admissions (11.76%). Conclusion: This Study concluded that hypothyroidism in pregnancy leads to preeclampsia, preterm labour, increases caesarean delivery, low birth weight and hyperbilirubinemia in neonates. Henceeffective treatment of hypothyroidism ensures safe pregnancy with minimal maternal and foetal complications.