A recent research carried out by teams from the US and Norway has suggested that pregnant women who develop preeclampsia, a dangerous condition during pregnancy which leads to abnormally high blood pressure, are more prone to suffering from thyroid problems. Women with the condition have been discovered to have a hiked risk of an under-active thyroid, which can lead to depression and fatigue.

Researchers of the study, which has been detailed in the British Medical Journal, have asserted that women who show signs of preeclampsia should also be checked for thyroid levels to rule out any abnormalities.

The thyroid gland, under activity of which can lead to a condition known as hypothyroidism, is responsible for controlling the body's energy burning rate and also the rate at which it makes hormones which take care of proper regulation of blood pressure, heart beat and body temperature. Hypothyroidism can lead to frequent bouts of depression, fatigue and weakness. It also puts the sufferer at an increased risk of heart diseases.

Preeclampsia, if left untreated, can endanger both the pregnant woman and her unborn child. Nearly 1,000 babies die every year in the UK because of it. Although the exact cause of abnormally high blood pressure during pregnancy remains unknown, it has sometimes been linked to high levels of some proteins in the second half of the term.