Can TSH Of 2.76 Lead To Fetus Brain Development Complications During Pregnancy?

Posted on Fri, 17 Jan 2014

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Fri, 17 Jan 2014 Answered on

Wed, 5 Feb 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : My wife is going into her 10th week of pregnancy. She had bloodwork done in the summer and her TSH was 'normal high end'...dr and naturopath said not to worry and monitor. My wife became pregnant near the end of November. She had bloodword again in December and TSH was 2.76. Naturopath said continue 'monitoring. We're also seeing a fertility specialist due to length of time to conceive (was natural). Another bloodwork test on Tuesday showed TSH was 3. Our fertility specialist started her on 50micrograms of Eltroxin daily (levothyroxine). Should we be concerned about fetus/brain development complications? Is it TOO late to begin the medication? My wife was told she will be tested weekly and have ultrasounds to ensure bby is fine

Answered by Dr. Dr. Rakhi Tayal (7 hours later)

Brief Answer: No its not late. Detailed Answer: Hello, Thanks for trusting us with your health concern. Normal range of the TSH levels should be between 0.4-4 mIU/L. With the variation in TSH levels, the value of 3 is suggestive of a mild subclinical hypothyroidism which is a mild form of hypothyroidism that has no apparent symptoms and does not affect the fetus. You can get her free T4 levels evaluated and if these are in normal range then it is a subclinical hypothyroidism and there is nothing to worry. However get regular ante natal checkups done to rule out or detect early complications of hypothyroidism. These include anemia, low birth weight and pre eclampsia. So get your hemoglobin count, ultrasounds and BP monitored at regular intervals. Continue with the synthetic thyroid hormone Eltroxin and keep a watch on above mentioned parameters. Also get the tests repeated every 2-3 weeks to keep an eye on the levels and hence adjust the dose accordingly. Please feel free to discuss further. I will be glad to answer the follow up queries that you have. Wishing you good health. Regards. Dr. Rakhi Tayal. For future query, you can directly approach me through my profile URL http://bit.ly/Dr-Rakhi-Tayal

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Dr. Rakhi Tayal (30 hours later)

Hello, I was wrong. Last TSH count was 12.3 Dec 17/13 lab report: 2.8 TSH XXXXXXX 15/14 lab report: 12.3 TSH. Ordered 50micrograms synthroid XXXXXXX 17. Began taking 1/day on Friday. Ultrasound on XXXXXXX 13 showed 9 weeks pregnant. I assume 5 weeks pregnant Dec 17. 1. Why would TSH levels go so high so quickly? 2. Will a 'lower' TSH during first 5 weeks be helpful? 3. how much of an effect will this high TSH affect neuro/bby development? 4. how long before synthroid takes affect for bby. I read the first 10 weeks are the most critical, then the bby develops its own thyroid. we have ultrsound on Wednesday, then weekly blood/bby checks. Is this VERY BAD or should we be OK? thanks

Answered by Dr. Dr. Rakhi Tayal (10 hours later)

Brief Answer: Detailed below. Detailed Answer: Hello. Thanks for writing again. The sudden rise in TSH is due to an increase in the demand of Thyroid hormone. During first 5 weeks the TSH was in normal range. So it will not affect the baby's development. The high levels of TSH do affect the development only if free t3 and free T4 are below normal levels. Synthyroid supplements will start showing an effect in 2-3 days. Do go for regular monitoring as scheduled. Hope my answer is helpful. If you do not have any clarifications, you can close the discussion and rate the answer. Wish you good health. Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar