Radioactive iodine and female fertility

Abstract

Radioactive iodine (I(131)) is used after surgery in the treatment of Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma (DTC). There is no solid evidence about the potential deleterious effect of I(131) on women fertility. The objective of this study is to assess the impact that I(131) may have on fertility in women. All women followed by DTC in our department have been analyzed and women younger than 45 years old at the time of diagnosis and initial treatment were included. There were 40 women exposed to I(131) (study group) and 11 women who were only treated with thyroidectomy (control group). Of the women exposed to I(131), 40% went through early menopause, while no cases were reported among their controls. Furthermore, 29.2% of women exposed to I(131) had decreased Antimüllerian Hormone (AMH), compared to the only 11% of unexposed women (not significant). Regarding the fertility impairment "perceived" by patients, in the group of women exposed to iodine, 17.9% described being unable to complete their genesic desire whereas, none was registered in the control group. We conclude that radioactive iodine can affect a woman's fertility and shorten her reproductive life, so this is an aspect that should be taken into consideration.