Iron Deficiency, Pregnancy, and Your Thyroid
We already know that being iron deficient can negatively affect your ability to effectively make thyroid hormones.
Now, researchers have looked at the connection between iron deficiency in pregnancy — a time when this condition is quite common — and the impact on thyroid function. What they found was that significant iron deficiency has a direct impact on Free T4 and T4 levels during pregnancy — and may even push you over the cutoffs into hypothyroidism. And untreated hypothyroidism during pregnancy poses a risk to the pregnancy, and the health of both mother and baby.
The good news? The research reported that treating iron deficiency with iron supplements can help maintain optimal thyroid function and levels during pregnancy. (And there’s an added benefit: because anemia is much more common during pregnancy, iron supplementation can help prevent it as well!)
If you’re thinking about getting pregnant, or you’re pregnant, be sure to have iron levels checked, and correct any iron deficiency. But remember that iron supplements can interfere with thyroid medication absorption. So doctors recommend that you take any iron supplements — or prenatal vitamins with iron — at least 3 to 4 hours apart from your thyroid medication.
Do you want to have a healthy pregnancy and baby with a thyroid condition? Read “Your Healthy Pregnancy with Thyroid Disease,” a comprehensive guide to fertility, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and post-partum wellness for women with thyroid conditions.
Source: Moreno-Reyes, R. et. al. "Iron deficiency is a risk factor for thyroid dysfunction during pregnancy: A population-based study in Belgium," Thyroid. Sep 2021 https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/pdf/10.1089/thy.2021.0286