Thyroid Function During Pregnancy Can Affect Child’s IQ

Thyroid Function During Pregnancy Can Affect Child’s IQ

According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (1999;341:549-555, 601-602), if a woman is pregnant and has an underactive thyroid, the IQ of the child may be adversely affected. Children between the ages of seven and nine, with mothers who had untreated hypothyroidism, scored an average of seven points lower on IQ tests than children with mothers that had normal thyroid function. The article goes on to say that during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy the fetus relies entirely on the mother for thyroid hormone. They thyroid may play a role in brain development.


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