A study was reported at the Society for Endocrinology Annual Conference in Brighton that showed iodine deficiency in 241 pregnant women from Northern Ireland. The study by Paul McMullan and colleagues measured urinary iodine concentration and found that the median was below the threshold set by WHO to indicate iodine sufficiency (150 mcg/L) during pregnancy in each trimester – 72, 94 and 116 mcg/L in the first, second, and third trimesters respectively.
In a separate cohort of 183 pregnant women, the researchers evaluated knowledge of iodine and found that just 5% of participants had sufficient knowledge about iodine.
The full press release can be read here