Is Mild Thyroid Hormone Insufficiency During Pregnancy Associated with ADHD Symptoms?

The effect was modest, but the study should be interpreted with caution.

Hypothyroxinemia (a mild decrease in free thyroid hormone without an increase in thyrotropin levels) occurs transiently in some women during pregnancy. This condition is associated with mild decrease in neurocognitive functions in children. The effect on behavior is uncertain.

In a population-based birth cohort study in the Netherlands, researchers studied 3873 mother-child pairs to determine the behavioral effect of transient maternal hypothyroxinemia during pregnancy. Thyroid function was measured at the beginning of the second trimester (mean, 13.6 weeks). Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in children were assessed by the Conners' Parent Rating Scale when the children were 8 years old.

Hypothyroxinemia occurred in 12…

Reviewing Author

Martin T. Stein, MD

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory boardPearson Neuroscience Advisory Board

Speaker’s bureauAmerican Academy of Pediatrics

RoyaltiesElsevier, Inc.

Editorial boardsJournal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics