Maternal thyroid function and child educational attainment: prospective cohort study

The role of thyroid hormones during early gestation is well established by animal studies. In humans, previous studies have shown that maternal hypothyroxinemia was associated with either an early reduction in psychomotor scales (e.g. Bayley scale of infant development) or later in late infancy or adolescence. However, randomized controlled trials on the effect of antenatal screening and treatment of mild thyroid disorders did not show any difference in cognitive function between children of mothers treated and not treated (see also paper 3.6)1,2.