Pregnancy problem due to thyroid
Abnormal thyroid hormone levels during pregnancy are related to an increased danger for behavioural problems in preschool-aged boys, but not girls, consistent with study data published within the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
“Our findings highlight the importance of close monitoring and management of maternal thyroid function during pregnancy,” Kun Huang, PhD, of the department of maternal, child and adolescent health at Anhui Medical University School of Public Health in China, said during a press release. “ This research presents a replacement perspective in early intervention of children’s emotional and behavioural problems.”
Experimenters recruited pregnant women who had their first antenatal checkup at MA ‘Anshan Maternal and Child Health Hospital in China from May 2013 to September 2014. All participants were within fourteen weeks of pregnancy at their first checkup, had no psychological illness and were willing to share in the follow-up of their children. Blood samples were collected during each trimester of pregnancy to live thyroid hormones. Women were placed into a high-, moderate or low- a level group for thyroid-stimulating hormone, free thyroxine and thyroid peroxidase antibodies supported trajectories during pregnancy. At the child’s mean age of four years, caregivers completed the Achenbach Child Behaviour Checklist to assess behavioural problems. The checklist included three summary scales
Internalizing problems, externalizing problems and total problems. Internalizing problems included emotional reactiveness, anxiety or depression and pullout. Externalizing problems included attention problems and aggressive behaviour.
Of the participants, 67.8 had a coffee TSH level, 27.8 had a moderate level and4.4 had a high position. For free of charge T4, 33 of the ladies had a low level,52.4 had a moderate level and14.6 had a high level. Maternal thyroid peroxidase antibodies were low and stable for 96.5 of participants and high and decreasing for 3.5.
For preschool-aged boys, the prevalence of externalizing behavioural problems was topmost for those with mommies within the high TSH group and lowest in those with mommies within the low TSH group. Anxious/ depressed feelings were topmost in boys with mommies within the high free T4 group and littlest in boys with mommies within the moderate free T4 group.
After adjusting for confounders, maternal high TSH was related to an increased likelihood for pullout ( adjusted OR = 2.01; 95 CI,1.16-3.5) and externalizing problems (aOR = 2.69; 95 CI,1.22-5.92) in boys. Moderate TSH during pregnancy was related to increased odds for aggressive behaviour in boys (aOR = 3.76; 95 CI,1.16-12.23). High free T4 during pregnancy increased the chances for anxious/ depressed feelings (aOR = 2.22; 95 CI,1.08-4.56) and total problems in boys (aOR = 1.74; 95 CI,1.13-2.66), whereas low free T4 was related to increased aggressive behaviour in boys (aOR = 4.17; 95 CI,1.22-14.24). there have been no associations observed between maternal thyroid hormone levels and emotional or behavioural problems for women.
The experimenters said it is unknown why maternal thyroid hormones are related to behaviour changes in boys and not in girls, but there is evidence that the interaction between thyroid hormones and sex steroid hormones could also be more direct in boys.
“ Thyroid hormones are reported to be related to testicular development, growth and maturation,” the experimenters wrote. “ they are going to enhance gonadotropin-induced androgen synthesis and release within the testis. Experimental studies indicated that thyroid hormone is important for a man’s typical brain development. We suspect that boys could also be more vulnerable to changes of motherly thyroid hormones and thus further to the next behavioural problems.”
SOURCE
https://www.healio.com/news/endocrinology/20220106/abnormal-thyroid-hormones-during-pregnancy-linked-to-behavioral-problems-in-boys