Fw: Re: Fw: Thyroid antibodies increase risk of miscarriage

[Guest guest]

>

http://www.obgyn.net/newsheadlines/womens_health-Vrije_Universiteit_Bruss

el-20031008-57.asp

> Thyroid antibodies increase risk of miscarriage

> Vrije Universiteit Brussel

> October 8, 2003

> 2003 OCT 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Women who test positive

> for thyroid antibodies prior to receiving fertility treatment may be

> at an increased risk for miscarriage, according to new research

> published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

>

> The new study emphasizes the importance of testing thyroid

> autoimmunity prior to assisted reproduction therapies in women.

>

> Thyroid dysfunction is a condition known to reduce the likelihood of

> pregnancy. It can also adversely affect a pregnancy. Positive

> thyroid antibodies, even in the presence of normal thyroid function,

> increase the risk of miscarriage two or three times, even in

> spontaneous pregnancies.

>

> Research has shown that women who suffer from infertility are at an

> increased risk for associated thyroid autoimmunity compared with

> age-matched fertile women. While most infertile couples use assisted

> reproduction technologies, such as in vitro fertilization, to become

> pregnant, 20-30% of these pregnancies are complicated by

> miscarriage.

>

> Dr. Kris Poppe and researchers at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel in

> Belgium sought to determine whether the presence of positive thyroid

> antibodies influences the rate of miscarriage in infertile women.

>

> Dr. Poppe and his colleagues conducted a prospective analysis on 234

> infertile women between the ages of 20 and 50 years who visited at

> the Center for Reproductive Medicine in Belgium. The women were

> screened for thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPO-Ab), thyroid

> stimulating hormone (TSH) and free T4 before undergoing assisted

> reproduction.

>

> The endpoints of the assisted reproduction were pregnancy,

> miscarriage, or delivery. The researchers found positive thyroid

> antibodies in about 14% of the subjects.

>

> Approximately 53% of these women became pregnant. Yet, the

> miscarriage rate for these women was more than 50%, compared with

> only 23% in the women negative for thyroid antibodies, despite

> comparable thyroid function prior to the procedure. The women in

> both groups were age-matched.

>

> " These findings help conclude that thyroid antibodies could be

> assessed in women before they undergo assisted reproduction

> therapies, " notes Dr. Poppe, the first author on the study. " This

> test could help determine the risk for miscarriage. Larger studies

> are now needed to confirm these findings.

>

> JCEM is one of four journals published by The Endocrine Society.

> This article was prepared by Biotech Week editors from staff and

> other reports.

>

> ©Copyright 2003, Biotech Week via NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net

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