Association between maternal and cord blood thyroid hormones, and urine iodine concentration with fetal growth

Abstract

Objectives We planned to evaluate the association of fetal and maternal thyroid hormones and maternal iodine status with neonates’ anthropometric parameters. Methods In this cross-sectional study, levels of thyrotropin were measured in maternal serum in the first trimester of pregnancy, and thyrotropin (TSH) and free thyroxin (fT4) were measured in cord blood serum samples at birth. Urinary iodine concentration (UIC) levels in random urine samples of mothers were measured in the third trimester of pregnancy. The relationship between UIC and thyroid hormone levels of mothers with neonates’ anthropometric birth parameters of neonates was evaluated. Results One hundred eighty-eight mother–newborn pairs completed the study. Mean (SD) of cord blood TSH (CB-TSH), cord blood-free thyroxin (CB-FT4) values, and maternal TSH (M-TSH) levels were 8.8 (7.3) mIU/L, 1.01 (0.2) ng/dL, and 2.2 (0.9) mIU/L, respectively. After adjusting for confounders, there was a positive significant association between female neonate length and maternal TSH and log log-transformed CB TSH (LN_CB-TSH) (p<0.05). Median UIC (Q1–Q3) was 157 (53–241) μg/L, and there was no association between birth weight, birth length, and head circumferences of neonates and mothers’ UIC (p>0.05). Conclusions We found a positive correlation between maternal TSH in the first trimester of pregnancy and the birth length of newborns, and a negative correlation was observed between CB-TSH and birth length in girls, but it did not provide conclusive evidence for the relationship between maternal and neonatal thyroid hormone levels and birth weight. There was no association between maternal UIC levels in the third trimester and birth anthropometric parameters.