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Does Untreated Hypothyroidism In Pregnancy Affect IQ Of The Baby?
Question: Hi, I have been on treatment for hypothyroidism from Feb 2014.Sep 15 i got married,till Sep 14 I havent missed my thyroxine 62.5 dose,but from Sep 15 till 25th I forgot to take tablets,then from 26th to 2nd oct I took tablets,again I forgot for one week and went to a doctor on oct 10 where I confirmed my pregnancy and I was in 6th week of pregnancy at that time and my Tsh was 7.57 which an endo said its high. I have hashimotos that is why I have become hypothyroid.Endo upped my dose to 88and level got normal and decreased my dose to 75 now. Now I'm taking 75 and level is normal. I'm very worried and afraid whether untreated hypothyroidism till 6weeks pregnancy affects my baby's IQ, I'm fed up with this. Nw I'm in 8th month. Please answer my question. Worried mom.
Brief Answer:
please relax mom.
Detailed Answer:
Dear XXXXXXX hi! it is true that thyroid is responsible for the brain development of the baby, baby is dependent on mother thyroid supply till term and more so in the initial period. but at the same time it is also true that slightly low thyroid functioning status will not grossly harm the baby. over a period of some 10 years study it was revealed that grossly hypothyroid mothers had children with IQ which was some 7% less than those with children born to normal mothers. so that makes 93% IQ, which is decently good for a normal child. but neither you were that grossly hypothyroid nor were you left untreated there after. so relax, maintain a normal thyroid status now, and during lactation, and stay positive and positively connected with your baby. happy mother hood. regards!
please relax mom.
Detailed Answer:
Dear XXXXXXX hi! it is true that thyroid is responsible for the brain development of the baby, baby is dependent on mother thyroid supply till term and more so in the initial period. but at the same time it is also true that slightly low thyroid functioning status will not grossly harm the baby. over a period of some 10 years study it was revealed that grossly hypothyroid mothers had children with IQ which was some 7% less than those with children born to normal mothers. so that makes 93% IQ, which is decently good for a normal child. but neither you were that grossly hypothyroid nor were you left untreated there after. so relax, maintain a normal thyroid status now, and during lactation, and stay positive and positively connected with your baby. happy mother hood. regards!
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Madam, I'm still not clear with your answer. I have read in net that first 12weeks is crucial for baby's brain development but first 6weeks and before conception I was with untreated hypothyroidism, so it means that won't affect my baby's normal development? And do you mean Tsh of 7.57 with hashimotos is not high in my case? Can I expect a baby with normal brain development in my case?
Brief Answer:
absolutely.
Detailed Answer:
Dear Ma'm, yes, you can rest assured about it. 7.57 TSH is not very high. another thing TSH does not affect the baby, it is fT4, which definitely was not very low because TSH has not gone very high. you are very right that brain development of the fetus is maximally in first 12 weeks and you were off treatment for half of that period, but again as i told you you were a borderline case. also the affected children only show minor IQ differences which are noticed on large scale clinical trials, there are not sufficient evidence to show that child will be mentally retarded or have grossly poor motor skills or scholastic performance. so please relax. regards!
absolutely.
Detailed Answer:
Dear Ma'm, yes, you can rest assured about it. 7.57 TSH is not very high. another thing TSH does not affect the baby, it is fT4, which definitely was not very low because TSH has not gone very high. you are very right that brain development of the fetus is maximally in first 12 weeks and you were off treatment for half of that period, but again as i told you you were a borderline case. also the affected children only show minor IQ differences which are noticed on large scale clinical trials, there are not sufficient evidence to show that child will be mentally retarded or have grossly poor motor skills or scholastic performance. so please relax. regards!
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thanks for making me relaxed mam. I'm very happy hearing this from a specialist like you. Endo I met scared me a lot becz of my Tsh level and in my case I have hashimotos so ft4 is normal even when I'm hypothyroid without treatment. Becz of my endo's words till now I was really fed up with this and I undergone lot of stress,breathing trouble and worries becz of his words. I'm really happy to hear that my baby will be fine from you mam. But still I feel I have wasted the happiest days of pregnancy worrying and thinking negatively that my baby will not be normal. I think I should have contacted this website before urself but I dnt have knowledge about this before. I have cried a lot and worried a lot thinking about my baby. Really I'm very much happy after hearing ur positive comments. Again I'm afraid whether my stress,breathing trouble,worries,cry has affected my baby's brain development.
Brief Answer:
please don't be stressed.
Detailed Answer:
Dear ma'm, everything is fine. you are going to be a mom soon and believe me there is no bigger pleasure on earth than motherhood. so enjoy this time and the time to come. everything is fine and will be fine. Regards!
please don't be stressed.
Detailed Answer:
Dear ma'm, everything is fine. you are going to be a mom soon and believe me there is no bigger pleasure on earth than motherhood. so enjoy this time and the time to come. everything is fine and will be fine. Regards!
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
So do you mean all the problems like stress,breathing trouble, worries,cry will not affect my baby right? Everything will be fine and my baby will be fine for sure right ? So I can expect a healthy baby?
Brief Answer:
definitely yes.
Detailed Answer:
Dear ma'm, grossly yes everything will be fine try to stay happy and positive. get the anamoly scan done for fetal well being that will tell you if there is any problem. apart from that due to thyroid or your stress or crying nothing should happen. but now please stay happy and positive and rule out any problem by sonography and fetal doppler. these tests i have suggested because you are over concerned. they will tell you if there is a problem otherwise not because of hypothyroidism or due to stress. regards!
definitely yes.
Detailed Answer:
Dear ma'm, grossly yes everything will be fine try to stay happy and positive. get the anamoly scan done for fetal well being that will tell you if there is any problem. apart from that due to thyroid or your stress or crying nothing should happen. but now please stay happy and positive and rule out any problem by sonography and fetal doppler. these tests i have suggested because you are over concerned. they will tell you if there is a problem otherwise not because of hypothyroidism or due to stress. regards!
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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