Reproductive failure in women living in iodine deficient areas of West Africa

Autor: J. Milliez, J. C. Dillon
Rok vydání: 2000
Předmět:
Zdroj: BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. 107:631-636
ISSN: 1471-0528
1470-0328
Popis: This study investigated the association between iodine status and reproductive failure in a population of West African women with the use of an epidemiological survey on iodine deficiency disorders that was carried out in 1996-97 in Senegal Oriental and Casamance. A total of 4980 women aged 10-50 years of whom 1544 were adolescents and 462 were pregnant women were examined for thyroid size and urinary iodine excretion. Their iodine status was associated with their fertility rate and reproductive failures. Results revealed that the reproductive failure (defined as repeated miscarriages and stillbirth) was associated with low iodine status with severe iodine deficiency increasing the risk. Poor nutritional status and illiteracy had a significant effect on the pregnancy: underweight women had a fourfold higher risk and those who were illiterate had an eightfold higher risk or a failed pregnancy compared with nutritionally healthy literate women. These results emphasized the need to implement an effective iodine supplementation program targeted at young and pregnant women in this area of Western Africa. They also stressed the importance of improving the nutritional status of young girls and the crucial role that was played by education in the prevention of reproductive failure.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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