Prevalence of Hypothyroidism in Pregnant Women in India: A Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies

INTRODUCTION: This meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the prevalence of hypothyroidism among pregnant women in India. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Shodhganga (Indian thesis repository) for observational studies, providing prevalence of hypothyroidism among pregnant women in India. Systematic study selection and data extraction procedures were followed. Quality assessment of each study was done using JBI critical appraisal checklist. The random effects model was used for pooling the effect sizes. Publication bias was assessed using the funnel plot and rank correlation test. I(2) statistics was used to measure heterogeneity across the studies. Heterogeneity in the pooled estimates was further explored with subgroup analyses and meta-regression analysis. RESULTS: Sixty-one studies were found eligible and included in this review. The pooled estimate of the prevalence of hypothyroidism in pregnant women was 11.07% (95% CI: 8.79–13.84, I(2) = 99%). Pooled prevalence estimates of subclinical and overt hypothyroidism are 9.51% (95% CI: 7.48–12.04, I(2) = 98%) and 2.74% (95% CI: 2.08–3.58, I(2) = 94%). CONCLUSION: We documented 11.07% pooled prevalence of hypothyroidism in pregnant women in India.