Can a daily selenium pill calm an overactive immune system during pregnancy?
Selenium supplementation in the management of thyroid autoimmunity during pregnancy: results of the “SERENA study”, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Selenium didn’t change thyroid hormone levels, size, or ultrasound appearance—even as antibodies dropped dramatically.
Most assume reducing autoimmunity means fixing the thyroid itself—but here, the gland stayed perfectly normal while the immune system stopped attacking it.
Practical Takeaways
If you have thyroid antibodies and are pregnant or planning to, ask your doctor about 83 mcg/day of L-selenomethionine starting in the first trimester and continuing 6 months postpartum.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Selenium didn’t change thyroid hormone levels, size, or ultrasound appearance—even as antibodies dropped dramatically.
Most assume reducing autoimmunity means fixing the thyroid itself—but here, the gland stayed perfectly normal while the immune system stopped attacking it.
Practical Takeaways
If you have thyroid antibodies and are pregnant or planning to, ask your doctor about 83 mcg/day of L-selenomethionine starting in the first trimester and continuing 6 months postpartum.
Publication
Journal
Endocrine
Year
2019
Authors
Giovanna Mantovani, Andrea M. Isidori, Costanzo Moretti, C. Dato, Ermanno Greco, P. Ciolli, Marco Bonomi, L. Petrone, Angela Fumarola, Giuseppe Campagna, G. Vannucchi, S. Sante, C. Pozza, A. Faggiano, Andrea Lenzi, E. Giannetta
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Claims (6)
Taking selenium supplements is associated with lower levels of antibodies that attack the thyroid in people diagnosed with autoimmune thyroid disease.
When pregnant women take a daily supplement of 83 micrograms of L-selenomethionine, their blood selenium levels rise significantly and remain higher than those of women taking a placebo, even six months after giving birth.
Taking selenium supplements during pregnancy does not improve or worsen the mother's well-being, pregnancy complications, or baby's health outcomes in women with autoimmune thyroiditis.
In women with autoimmune thyroiditis, levels of thyroid autoantibodies typically drop during pregnancy and rise again after childbirth unless selenium is taken, which may help prevent this increase.
Taking 83 micrograms of L-selenomethionine daily during pregnancy and for six months after childbirth is associated with lower levels of specific antibodies targeting the thyroid in women with autoimmune thyroiditis, compared to those taking a placebo.