Guidelines for Thyroid Treatment

A doctors’ group has revised its guidelines on thyroid treatments during and after pregnancy. The Endocrine Society produced the new guidelines. There are 52 of them, covering before, during and after pregnancy, as well as during breastfeeding. The guidelines say that women who are trying to get pregnant and have any history of thyroid problems should be tested for normal thyroid function. The society also said that pregnant women take prenatal vitamins containing 150 to 200 micrograms of iodine. And women who are breastfeeding should take 250 micrograms of iodine every day. These doses protect women and their babies from iodine deficiency. That can lead to an imbalance of thyroid hormone. This hormone is crucial for fetal brain development. The new guidelines update a 2007 version. They were published in the August issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.