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Abstract Pre-eclampsia is a major health problem worldwide and responsible for increasing maternal morbidity and mortality rates and it forms one of the most important cause of death along with hemorrhage and infection. Normal pregnancy is associated with some substantial but reversible changes in thyroid function which return to normal after the end of pregnancy. These changes in order to maintain normal global maternal metabolism and to adapt with increase requirement of the pregnancy. There are controversies about the mechanism and clinical significance of the effect of pre-eclampsia in thyroid gland and its functions but our study gave us some information about the changes which are happen in pre-eclampsia . These changes happen by direct effect on the thyroid gland itself or by indirect effect on the placental hormones, liver and kidney function. In the present study, we found that patients have mild pre-eclampsia showed significant increased in serum TSH level compared to healthy pregnant women in the third trimester and it was higher in severe pre-eclampsia. Serum free T3 was significantly lower in severe pre-eclampsia compared to normal pregnant women and no significant difference compared to mild pre-eclampsia. Serum free T4 showed no significant difference between both mild and severe pre-eclampsia and normal pregnant women. Our findings suggest pre-eclampsia can cause mild hypothyroidism and it is related to the severity of pre-eclampsia. Pre-eclampsia has no effect on thyroid antibodies which are measured to avoid any hidden autoimmune thyroid disease which can disrupt the results. |