Background: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of povidone-iodine (PVP-I) application at delivery on maternal urinary iodine concentration (UIC) and neonatal thyrotropin concentration.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, urine samples were collected from each pregnant woman after admission to the hospital and before routine application of the PVP-I for delivery preparation and after delivery at time of screening for congenital hypothyroidism. A heel-prick blood sample was taken from all newborns.
Results: A total of 394 pregnant women at time of delivery participated in this study. Median (interquartile range [IQR]) maternal UIC values were 120 (105-157) and 253 (126-470) μg/L before and after delivery, respectively (p<0.001). No significant correlations were observed between maternal UIC before and after delivery and neonatal thyrotropin levels.
Conclusions: Application of PVP-I significantly increased UIC in postpartum mothers; however, thyrotropin concentration in neonates, whose mothers had adequate UIC, was within the normal range.
Keywords: maternal urinary iodine; neonatal thyrotropin; povidone-iodine.