Abstract: Objective To investigate the iodine nutritional status of pregnant women in Qingdao,and to provide a reference for iodine intake for pregnant women properly. Methods Urinary levels of iodine and serum levels of free thyroxine（FT₄） and thyroid stimulating hormone（TSH） of 484 pregnant women were determined,and the iodine nutritional status of pregnant women was evaluated according to the standards recommended by World Health Organization（WHO）. Results Among the 484 pregnant women,pregnant women of urinary iodine <150 μg/L accounted for 19.42%,those of 150-<250 μg/L and >250 μg/L accounted for 27.07% and 53.51%,respectively. The proportions of iodine deficiency of early,middle and late pregnant women were 10.65%,21.14% and 28.93%,respectively. The proportion of iodine deficiency of late pregnant women was higher than that of early pregnant women（P<0.05）. There was no statistical significance between middle and late pregnant women（P>0.05）. The levels of TSH were higher in pregnant women with urinary iodine 150-<250 μg/L than in pregnant women with urinary iodine <150 μg/L（P<0.05）. The levels of FT₄ had no statistical significance among different urinary iodine groups（P>0.05）. Conclusions The iodine nutritional status for pregnant women in Qingdao is fine,but still some individuals expose in iodine insufficiency. Iodine nutritional status in pregnant women has an effect on TSH levels. It's suggested that urinary iodine monitoring and thyroid function screening should be conducted in pregnant women,which could guide iodine intake for pregnant women properly.

Key words: Iodine, Urine, Iodine deficiency, Thyroid stimulating hormone, Free thyroxine, Pregnant women