Medical experts are calling for universal screening on thyroid-related diseases among pregnant women in China as their prevalence is rising sharply among the people.

Each year, the nation has at least 50 million cases of thyroid-related problems and a great majority remain undiagnosed, said Teng Weiping, who heads the endocrine research institute of the China Medical University based in Shenyang.

One in six women would develop the hypothyroidism, one of the most commonly seen thyroid problems and if left untreated, it would affect the reproductive capacity, said Teng at an awareness raising event held by the Ministry of Health and the pharmaceutical giant Merck Serono.