Over one-third of pregnant women had iron deficiencies in their first trimester, which were likely to be associated with increased risk of thyroid-related conditions, a small Belgian study found.

In both univariate and multivariable analyses, iron deficiency in pregnancy was linked with a significantly increased risk of thyroid autoimmunity and dysfunction, reported Flora Veltri, MD, of Université Libre de Bruxelles in Belgium, and colleagues.

The link was also associated with an increased risk of subclinical hypothyroidism in multivariate analyses, the team wrote in the European Journal of Endocrinology.

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