
The study evaluated the postpartum management of these patients and identified factors associated with long-term hypothyroidism. Of the 177 pregnant women who initiated levothyroxine (LT4), 106 were followed for at least six months postpartum. LT4 could have been discontinued immediately after delivery in 45% of patients. Thirty-six out of 106 (34%) patients were long-term hypothyroid. Multivariate logistic regression identified the maximal LT4 dose during pregnancy as the sole factor associated with long-term hypothyroidism. The optimal cutoffs for predicting long-term hypothyroidism were an LT4 dose of 68.75 µg/day and a TSH level ≥ 3.8 mU/L. One-third of patients on LT4 during pregnancy developed long-term hypothyroidism, and the TSH level at initiation and the LT4 dose during pregnancy could guide long-term treatment decisions.
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