An Intelligent Test

Two percent of pregnant women are thyroid-deficient, but sometimes the symptoms, like fatigue and weight gain, go undetected. This can harm their babies' brains, according to The New England Journal of Medicine. Doctors at the Foundation for Blood Research in Maine gave IQ tests to 48 children, 7 to 9 years old, whose mothers had untreated thyroid deficiencies while pregnant. The kids scored seven points lower than a control group. If all women got inexpensive blood tests and necessary treatments, it would benefit tens of thousands of babies every year.

© 1999