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Maternal Thyroid Function in Early Pregnancy and Offspring School Performance and Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Line Tang Møllehave1, Mia Klinten Grand2, Margit Kriegbaum2
1Center for Clinical Research and Prevention, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, 2000 Frederiksberg, Denmark.
Insights
Maternal thyroid hormone levels in early pregnancy did not impact children's school performance or their risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study found no significant associations. Keywords: maternal thyroid hormones, pregnancy, child development, ADHD, ASD.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Endocrinology
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Thyroid hormones are essential for fetal neural development.
- The fetus is entirely dependent on maternal thyroid hormones during the first trimester of pregnancy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the relationship between first-trimester maternal thyroid hormone levels and children's academic achievement.
- To investigate the association between maternal thyroid hormone levels and the risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in offspring.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the Copenhagen Primary Care Laboratory Pregnancy Database, linking maternal thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and free thyroxine measurements with child outcomes.
- Employed linear mixed models and Cox regression to assess associations, with analyses stratified by pre-existing maternal thyroid conditions.
- Included 17,909 mother-child dyads for ADHD and ASD risk analysis, and 6,126 for school performance analysis.
Main Results:
- No association was found between first-trimester maternal thyroid hormone levels and children's standardized school test scores.
- Maternal thyroid hormone levels in early pregnancy showed no association with the risk of ADHD or ASD in children.
- Stratifying analyses by pre-existing maternal thyroid disorders did not alter the observed results.
Conclusions:
- This study found no evidence linking first-trimester maternal thyroid hormone levels to children's school performance.
- No association was identified between maternal thyroid hormone levels during early pregnancy and the risk of ADHD or ASD.
- These findings suggest maternal thyroid function in early pregnancy may not be a significant factor for these specific neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Context:
Thyroid hormones are critical for neural development, and during the first trimester of pregnancy, the fetus relies fully on maternal thyroid hormone production.
Objective:
To investigate the associations between maternal thyroid hormone levels in the first trimester with the child's school performance, risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Methods:
Information from the Copenhagen Primary Care Laboratory Pregnancy Database on first trimester TSH and free thyroxine measurements in mothers of children born in 2000 through 2014 were linked with information on the child's standardized test scores in school, ADHD (patient record diagnoses and medication), and ASD (patient record diagnoses) until the end of 2018. Associations of TSH and free thyroxine with the outcomes were individually assessed by linear mixed models and Cox regression models. The analyses were stratified by preexisting maternal thyroid disorders.
Results:
TSH measurements were available for 17 909 mother-child dyads. Among those with children born in 2000 through 2009, 6126 had a standardized school test score and were analyzed for the association between maternal thyroid hormone levels and child's school performance, and no support for an association was found. The association between thyroid hormone levels and child's risk of ADHD and ASD were analyzed for the 17 909 dyads and with no support for an association between thyroid hormone levels and these neurodevelopmental disorders. Stratification by preexisting maternal thyroid disorders did not affect the results.
Conclusion:
We found no evidence for associations between first trimester maternal thyroid hormone levels and child's school performance, or risk of ADHD or ASD.
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