One in ten pregnant Chinese women have disease that may cause miscarriage or premature delivery

One in every 10 pregnant women with thyroid disease may experience miscarriage, fetal death, premature delivery or problems with their baby’s intelligence without proper diagnosis and treatment, Shanghai medical experts have said.

“Screening of thyroid function before and during early pregnancy is important for early detection and intervention for children’s health,” said Dr Duan Tao, president of Shanghai No. 1 Maternity and Child Health Hospital.

He said a domestic survey found over 80 percent of pregnant women with thyroid disease didn’t get a timely diagnosis that would come from a proper screening for risk factors. Duan recommended more screening of pregnant women for thyroid diseases.

A recently issued guideline has suggested hospitals screen women for thyroid disease within eight weeks in pregnancy.

Source: Shanghai Daily