According to the results of a new study, being moderately can lead to in women.

Iodine is a trace element that’s important for bodily functions but isn’t produced by the human body. It’s found in certain types of food, such as fish, dairy products, and iodized salt. Many people also take iodine supplements to ensure they have sufficient levels.

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This element is essential for the thyroid gland to produce hormones. Without iodine, the thyroid gland must work extra hard, and it can lead to an enlarged thyroid gland (goiter), which can result in a swollen neck.

explains that other consequences of iodine deficiency include:

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  Can interfere with
  


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  Raises the risk of autoimmune disease
  


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  Raises the risk of certain cancers, including thyroid, prostate, breast, endometrial, and ovarian cancer
  

The outlet notes that iodine deficiency can be particularly dangerous in pregnancy. It can result in maternal high blood pressure and may affect the cognitive development of the offspring.

Now, new research has found evidence to suggest that deficiency in iodine may also play a part in female infertility. Previous research has found connections between iodine deficiencies and fertility problems as well as poor pregnancy and birth outcomes. But the authors of the new study emphasize that this area is still unresearched.

The researchers from China’s Department of Environmental Health, Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou were curious to observe the effects of mild iodine deficiency on female reproduction. They specifically wanted to know how low levels of iodine can affect the chances of becoming pregnant.

Relying on information from the Zhejian Electronic Surveillance Reporting System recorded during the years 2015 to 2017, the researchers considered 6,126 married women. The participants had to give urine samples to test for bodily iodine concentration. They also provided samples of their household cooking salt to consider the salt iodine concentration.

Additionally, the participants had to fill out a questionnaire that asked about their health history, medical information, and questions about their pregnancy, including the date of conception and past pregnancies.

In conclusion, the researchers found that it took the women with mild iodine deficiency slightly longer to conceive than those with adequate levels. The participants with iodine deficiency took, on average, five months to get pregnant, while those with satisfactory levels took only four.

However, in general, iodine-deficient women had to wait longer to become pregnant. 20% of mild iodine deficiency women took 13 months or longer to become pregnant compared to 14% with sufficient iodine levels.

The researchers encourage women planning or trying to become pregnant to monitor their iodine levels to increase chances of conception. Speak to your doctor if you believe you could benefit from iodine supplementation and for more information on how best to incorporate more of the element into your diet.

reports this is the first study in China to inquire into the effects of iodine deficiency on female fertility. Its results were recently published in the journal .

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