media release

Don’t risk not knowing if your newborn has Congenital Hypothyroidism. No newborn should miss out on the Newborn Heel Prick Test

The ATF 2026 Thyroid Awareness Month brings attention to the fact that no newborn should miss out on the Newborn Heel Prick Test.

Without testing Congenital Hypothyroidism can be easily missed. It is essential the test is performed on Day 2 or 3 of life.

Congenital Hypothyroidism usually results when a baby is born without a thyroid gland, or the thyroid gland does not develop completely. There can be other causes of this disorder. There is not always a clear reason why a baby is born with Congenital Hypothyroidism, however a genetic mutation can be the reason. Iodine Deficiency can also play a part as well.

Newborn detection of Congenital Hypothyroidism is determined by way of the Newborn Heel Prick Test. This test is usually done on Day 2 -3 of life and is essential to determine genetic disorders in newborns, says Beverley Garside CEO -Australian Thyroid Foundation.

At present, all states of Australia follow different protocols for the Heel Prick Test which is currently not mandatory, resulting in babies missing out on the test. The Australian Thyroid Foundation supports mandatory testing throughout Australia for all newborns and support the petition for national mandatory testing. Don’t risk not knowing — Sign the petition here 

The Heel Prick Test includes the TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) test which will determine your newborn’s thyroid health status. This test should be performed routinely on all newborn babies throughout Australia. Without this test, a congenital thyroid disorder can easily be overlooked, says Professor Mu Li – ATF Medical Advisor.

It is crucial all newborns are tested within the first a few days of birth. Any delays can lead to severe developmental issues, including loss of IQ. To confirm a congenital hypothyroidism diagnosis, a blood test is then performed with blood taken from a vein, after an elevated TSH heel prick test. Children who have been diagnosed with Congenial Hypothyroidism are treated by a Paediatric Endocrinologist with regular monitoring and testing through their developing years, says Professor Mu Li.

Not all babies are tested, here are why:

• Parents decline the test
• Discharge from hospital before the test
• Failure to follow up testing
• Home births instead of hospital

The Australian Thyroid Foundation support mandatory testing throughout Australia with all states complying to the same protocols.

For more information

• Thyroid Awareness Month
• Congenital Hypothyroidism

About the Australian Thyroid Foundation

The Australian Thyroid Foundation (ATF) is the national thyroid patient organisation. 2025 marked the 30th Anniversary of the ATF supporting and educating its members and raising awareness throughout Australian community about the benefits of Good Thyroid Health and the importance of Prevention of Iodine Deficiency,

The ATF is proud to have reached this milestone and look forward to continuing to reach out to future generations with the many services offered by the ATF.

For all media enquiries, please contact:

Beverley Garside CEO, Australian Thyroid Foundation

M: 0416 269 982 | E: beverley@thyroidfoundation.org.au

Do you have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis? 
Are you prescribed thyroxine? 
Do you still experience hypothyroid symptoms? 

If you answered yes to the 3 questions above, we invite you to participate in a placebo-controlled study investigating whether low dose naltrexone added to usual thyroxine treatment improves quality of life in people living with hypothyroidism? 

Naltrexone is an approved medication for the treatment of alcohol and opioid dependence. However, naltrexone given in a lower dose may have anti-inflammatory effects that may be beneficial to patients with autoimmune conditions such as Hashimoto’s disease. 

For more information, please contact: 

Dr. Christopher Muir FRACP, PhD

Email: christopher.muir@svha.org.au 

Download Recruitment Flyer

Download Participant Information Sheet

This study has been approved by: St. Vincent’s Hospital Human Research Ethics Committee.

As over 1 million Australians Are Living with an Undiagnosed Thyroid Disorder, Don’t Become a Statistic!

Correct Testing and Diagnosis is essential to ensure the correct treatment is prescribed.

Download Media Release

The Thyroid Gland is the powerhouse which gives the body and mind energy to perform!

From conception to death, without a healthy thyroid function, our wellbeing and general health can be affected by a sluggish thyroid function.

Our Thyroid Gland needs an adequate amount of daily ingested iodine from iodine enriched foods to produce enough hormones for its function.  Without it, our thinking, our energy and our general health can be greatly affected.

To protect your family from iodine deficiency and the consequences of a sluggish thyroid function, ensure you include iodine enriched foods on your shopping list.  Foods which are enriched with iodine; dairy milk and dairy products – something milk substitutes don’t include, seafood, iodised salt for cooking and for the table – other salts such as Himalayan don’t include.  Commercially made breads are made using iodised salt, says Beverley Garside, ATF Chief Executive Officer.

Australian Government Health Department (NHMRC), strongly recommend women during childbearing years ensure they include a daily pregnancy supplement which includes at least 150mcgs of iodine, to protect the pregnancy and the development of the foetus.  A daily supplement including iodine, together with an iodine enriched diet, is recommended for women contemplating pregnancy, during pregnancy and breastfeeding.  Thyroid function testing before, during and after pregnancy are also essential to ensure your thyroid hormone levels are adequate during this time, says Professor Creswell Eastman, ATF Principal Medical Advisor.

As we age, our body and mind can slow, without knowing why!  Don’t ignore the importance of a balanced diet which includes iodine enriched foods and use iodised salt for cooking and the table.  A low daily iodine intake could affect your thyroid gland production!  To ensure you have enough energy and you feel the best you can, make sure your diet includes iodine enriched foods.

Statistics show over 1 million Australian are living with an undiagnosed thyroid disorder, which an iodine enriched diet could help prevent!  Don’t become part of the statistics and ensure you include iodine enriched foods in your household’s daily diet!

Click here for more information

About the Australian Thyroid Foundation:

Since 1995 the Australian Thyroid Foundation has been supporting its members with advocacy, education and awareness.  

The Australian Thyroid Foundation continues to reach out and raise awareness Australia wide about the benefits of good thyroid health and why the prevention of iodine deficiency is so important.  The Australian Thyroid Foundation look forward to continuing to support future generations of Australians.

 

For all media enquiries, please contact:

Beverley Garside

Australian Thyroid Foundation

M: 0416 269 982  |   E: beverley@thyroidfoundation.org.au

Media Release

Avoid Iodine Deficiency with Healthy Food Choices

The Thyroid Gland is the powerhouse which gives the body and mind energy to perform!  

From conception to death, without a health thyroid function, our wellbeing and general health can be affected by a sluggish thyroid function.

Our Thyroid Gland needs an adequate amount of daily iodine enriched foods to produce enough hormones for its function.  Without it, our thinking, our energy and our general health can be greatly affected.

To protect your family from iodine deficiency and the consequences of a sluggish thyroid function, ensure you include iodine enriched foods on your shopping list.  Foods which are enriched with iodine; dairy milk and dairy products – something milk substitutes don’t include, seafood, iodised salt for cooking and for the table – other salts such as Himalayan don’t include iodine and commercially made breads which are made using iodised salt, says Beverley Garside, ATF Chief Executive Officer.

Australian Government Departments of Health, strongly recommend women of childbearing years ensure they include a daily pregnancy supplement including at least 150mcgs of iodine, to protect the pregnancy and the development of the foetus.  A daily supplement including iodine, together with an iodine enriched diet, is recommended for women contemplating pregnancy, during pregnancy and breastfeeding.  Thyroid function testing before, during and after pregnancy are also essential to ensure your thyroid hormone levels are adequate during this time, says Professor Creswell Eastman, ATF Principal Medical Advisor.

Tobacco smoking, too much alcohol and other substances can all have an affect on a supposedly healthy person’s thyroid gland health.  Especially if they have a family history of thyroid disorders and it is possible they could develop a thyroid autoimmune disease.   

As we age, our body and mind can slow, without knowing why! Don’t ignore the importance of a balanced diet which includes iodine enriched foods and use iodised salt for cooking and the table. A low daily iodine intake could affect your thyroid gland production!  To ensure you have enough energy and you feel the best you can, make sure your diet includes iodine enriched foods.   

Statistics show over 1 million Australians are living with an undiagnosed thyroid disorder, which an iodine enriched diet could help to prevent! Don’t become part of the statistics and ensure you include iodine enriched foods in your household’s daily diet! 

Click here for more information.

Patient's Medication Choice of Brand

Pharmacist regulations changed this year.  Pharmacists are now permitted to dispense bio-equivalent formulas of medications to patients on a generic basis when the 'Brand Substitution Box" has not been ticked on a prescription.  The ATF continue to receive complaints from patients who have been given a different brand that what they usually take and have been prescribed.

It is now becoming a serious problem, as pharmacists quite often:

• Change brands/formulas, without consulting first with patients
• Patients can be told their original brand has been discontinued
• Patients can be told their thyroid medication no longer needs refrigeration when given a different brand/formula to the one they usually take
• Patients are not told that while certain brands/formulas are listed as being biologically equivalent that does not mean they are interchangeable in any given patient.

Patients are often confronted and in some cases bullied into taking a brand the pharmacist has chosen to stock, instead of the patient's original brand and the one that works for them.

They are not all the same, even though they may be listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits List as being biologically equivalent!

The active ingredient of brands/formulas can vary from one brand to another, as can the excipients and therefore they are not all the same, which pharmacists should know.

Patients have a choice of brand, which their treating doctor has prescribed based on their medical history, diagnosis and performance of a particular brand/formula. This must continue to be respected by pharmacists to ensure patients continue to benefit, feel well and their thyroid health is not compromised. Thyroid conditions vary from thyroid cancer, to thyroidautoimmune disease, pregnancy and thyroid and more. Doctors base their prescribed brand/formula on a patient's diagnosed condition, blood results and the best brand/formula they believe will benefit the patient and carefully adjust the dosage of that particular brand of Levothyroxine until they achieve an optimal result with an individual patient.

The ATF recommends patients should continue on their original brand. A brand/formula should only be changed after a patient has consulted their treating doctor and if the doctor believes it is necessary, not changed on a pharmacist discretion.  New brand/formulas should only be dispensed to patients who are newly diagnosed or when the treating doctor believes there is a medical reason to change to another brand of medication.

Pharmacists are not thyroid specialists, do not know the patient's medical history or diagnosed thyroid disorder and therefore should do what they are there for, to dispense a prescribed medication.

MEDIA RELEASE

May 2022

‘BEFORE YOU PLAN A FAMILY, HOW IS YOUR THYROID HEALTH?’

May is the time of the year for the Australian Thyroid Foundation’s (ATF) Thyroid Awareness Month. 

Recent research from The Lancet – March 2022 emphasises the consequences and risks of an inadequate amount of thyroid hormone at conception, during pregnancy and whilst breastfeeding. 

‘Without an adequate amount of thyroid hormone mothers can be exposed to hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, including gestational hypertension and preeclampsia or eclampsia, which affect around 10% of pregnant women and are the leading causes of maternal and neonatal mortality worldwide.  Mothers who suffer from hypertensive disorders during pregnancy are at increased risk of long-term cardiovascular consequences and hypertensive disorders in subsequent pregnancies.  Evidence also indicates a risk of reduced cognitive ability to their offspring.

Knowing if you are genetically predisposed to Hashimoto’s or Graves’ Diseases, which are both thyroid autoimmune disorders is important to be aware of, to ensure all appropriate tests are ordered.  Autoimmune disorders may predispose mothers to a thyroid problem during pregnancy, says Professor Creswell Eastman, ATF Principal Medical Advisor.’

‘Unnecessary risks to a pregnancy and the mother’s health during pregnancy and ongoing is something that can be avoided and prevented.   Raising awareness and ensuring thyroid tests are ordered by GP’s, when couples are planning a family and when the pregnancy is confirmed are both essential.

As statistics show over 1 million Australians are living with an undiagnosed thyroid disorder, awareness and testing can prevent unwarranted outcomes for mothers and their babies, says ATF CEO Beverley Garside.’

Pregnancy preparation and the mother’s health during pregnancy is something that is extremely important for all families. The ATF want to ensure the best outcomes for both mothers and babies are possible through awareness and education.

For more information: May is Thyroid Awareness Month

MEDIA RELEASE

May 2021

‘TEST YOUR THYROID’

Statistics show that over 1 million Australians are living with an undiagnosed with some form of thyroid disorder,   Be Thyroid Aware and Test Your Thyroid!

May is the time of the year when the Australian Thyroid Foundation’s (ATF) Thyroid Awareness Month, calls upon all Australians to be aware of their thyroid health.

Thyroid Disorders affect all Australians of all age groups and demographics.  Awareness is the key to ensuring you do not overlook a thyroid disorder which could be affecting your health and wellbeing.

• 1 in 10 Australians will be affected by some form of thyroid disorder
• 7 of the 10 are women
• Over 1 million Australians are undiagnosed
• 60,000 Australians are diagnosed each year
• Thyroid Cancer is increasing, affecting younger Australians
• Iodine Deficiency & Thyroid Disorders affect pregnancy outcomes for women of childbearing years.
• 
  

“Thyroid testing is important for the diagnosis of a thyroid disorder. If you think symptoms you are experiencing may be due a thyroid disorder, please visit your doctor and ask for a Thyroid Function Pathology Test.  Further testing is available if your doctor deems necessary.  Testing will determine if your symptoms are thyroid related.  Diagnosis can improve your quality of life and wellbeing – says Beverley Garside – ATF CEO.”

“Thyroid Disorders can affect patients of all ages and demographics in different ways, with women diagnosed more than men.  Women of childbearing years also need to ensure their thyroid health and function has been determined and treated if necessary.  Good Thyroid health during this life stage is essential for the development of the newborn – says Professor Creswell Eastman   - ATF Medical Advisor.”

During May the ATF encourages all Australians to be aware of their thyroid health and visit their doctor to discuss symptoms, testing, family history of a thyroid disorders and to ensure your thyroid health is determined.

As the Australian Education, Support, Advocacy and Awareness Organisation the ATF wants all Australians to be aware and not ignore any symptoms which may be related to thyroid disease. 

“All Australians should be aware of their family history - if members of your family have been affected by some form of thyroid disorder, please ensure you do not overlook any symptoms.  Early detection is important, a simple blood test and if necessary a thyroid ultrasound examination if necessary will either determine or eliminate the possibility” states Professor Eastman – ATF Medical Advisor.   

The ATF’s has been supporting and educating its members and the general public about the importance of Good Thyroid health for over 25 years!  The ATF is very proud to have reached this milestone and we look forward to continuing our work into the future and continuing to raise awareness” says Beverley Garside – ATF CEO”

About the Thyroid

The thyroid gland is located at the front of the neck, below the voice box.  The thyroid gland is a soft, small bow-shaped gland, below the voice box or larynx (Adam’s Apple) on either side of the trachea (windpipe).  Thyroid disease affects women more than men and is usually caused by an autoimmune disease.  Iodine deficiency is the most common worldwide cause of thyroid disorders.  Along with thyroid auto-immune disease, a low-iodine diet can cause hypothyroidism, an enlarged thyroid gland (goitre), infertility, pregnancy outcomes and foetal brain development. As part of the endocrine system, the thyroid plays a critical role in the healthy function of the body, influencing and regulating the activity of all cells and tissues.  A healthy thyroid gland uses ingested iodine from iodine enriched foods to produce thyroid hormones which regulate body and brain growth and development, body temperature, energy levels and metabolic functions.

May is Thyroid Awareness Month in Australia, which incorporates World Thyroid Day (25 May) and International Thyroid Awareness Week (25-31 May)

For Information, or to support the ATF, please visit www.thyroidfoundation.org.au

~ ENDS ~

For all media enquiries, please contact:

Beverley Garside

Chief Executive Officer

Australian Thyroid Foundation

M: 0416 269 982   |   E:  beverley@thyroidfoundation.org.au

About the Australian Thyroid Foundation

The Australian Thyroid Foundation Ltd (ATF) was founded in 1995 and is now the peak advocacy and support organisation for Australians living with a thyroid disorder.  The ATF is a national not-for-profit organisation with a focus on providing education and support to its members and promoting Good Thyroid Health messaging throughout the community.  The ATF is a member of Thyroid Federation International (TFI), a world-wide thyroid patient organisation dedicated to global action of thyroid related issues.

THYROID CANCER IS INCREASING AMONGST YOUNGER AUSTRALIANS – AWARENESS IS ESSENTIAL

Gold Bow Day – 1st September is the Australian Thyroid Foundation’s (ATF) Thyroid Cancer Awareness Day!

The ATF is calling upon all Australians to be aware of any changes or symptoms related to thyroid cancer.

Click below to read the Media Release

Media Release

House of Wellness - awareness article about the importance of good thyroid health and iodine deficiency with Prof Creswell Eastman – ATF Principal Medical Advisor and Beverley Garside – ATF CEO

Read here