Skip to main content

Advertising Disclaimer »

Main menu

  • Journals
    • Pediatrics
    • Hospital Pediatrics
    • Pediatrics in Review
    • NeoReviews
    • AAP Grand Rounds
    • AAP News
  • Authors
    • Author Guidelines
  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Complete Issue PDF
    • Archive
    • 20th Anniversary Special Edition
    • Topic/Program Collections
    • Blog
    • Questions from NeoReviews
  • CME/MOC
    • CME Quizzes
    • MOC Claiming
    • NeoReviewsPlus
    • Board Review Study Guide
  • Multimedia
    • Pediatrics On Call Podcast
  • Subscribe
  • Alerts
  • Careers
  • Other Publications
    • American Academy of Pediatrics

User menu

  • Log in

Search

  • Advanced search
American Academy of Pediatrics

AAP Gateway

Advanced Search

AAP Logo

  • Log in
  • Journals
    • Pediatrics
    • Hospital Pediatrics
    • Pediatrics in Review
    • NeoReviews
    • AAP Grand Rounds
    • AAP News
  • Authors
    • Author Guidelines
  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Complete Issue PDF
    • Archive
    • 20th Anniversary Special Edition
    • Topic/Program Collections
    • Blog
    • Questions from NeoReviews
  • CME/MOC
    • CME Quizzes
    • MOC Claiming
    • NeoReviewsPlus
    • Board Review Study Guide
  • Multimedia
    • Pediatrics On Call Podcast
  • Subscribe
  • Alerts
  • Careers
American Academy of Pediatrics
Article

Thyroid Function During the Fetal and Neonatal Periods

Liane Eng and Leslie Lam
NeoReviews January 2020, 21 (1) e30-e36; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1542/neo.21-1-e30
Liane Eng
*Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Leslie Lam
*Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • Comments
  • Quiz
Loading

This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.

Download PDF
  • Abbreviations:
    HPT:
    hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid
    T3:
    triiodothyronine
    T4:
    thyroxine
    TBG:
    thyroxine-binding globulin
    TRAbs:
    thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor antibodies
    TRH:
    thyrotropin-releasing hormone
    TSH:
    thyroid-stimulating hormone
  • Abstract

    Thyroid hormones are essential during infancy and childhood for growth and brain development. The formation and maturation of the newborn’s hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis begin in utero with fetal dependence on maternal thyroid hormones early in the pregnancy. As the fetal thyroid gland begins to produce thyroid hormones in the second trimester, the reliance decreases and remains at lower levels until birth. After birth, the detachment from the placenta and the change in thermal environment lead to a rapid increase in circulating thyroid-stimulating hormone in the neonate within hours, resulting in subsequent increases in thyroxine and triiodothyronine concentrations. Preterm infants may have lower thyroxine concentrations because of an immature hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis at the time of birth and premature discontinuation of transference of maternal thyroid hormones. Similarly, infants with critical illness unrelated to the thyroid gland may have lower thyroxine levels. Infants born to mothers with Graves’ disease are at risk for hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism, which is related to the placental transfer of maternal autoantibodies, as well as antithyroid medications. An understanding of the normal embryology and physiology of the fetal and neonatal thyroid will help in evaluating a newborn for thyroid disorders.

    • Copyright © 2020 by the American Academy of Pediatrics

    Individual Login

    Log in
    You will be redirected to aap.org to login or to create your account.

    Institutional Login

    via Institution

    You may be able to gain access using your login credentials for your institution. Contact your librarian or administrator if you do not have a username and password.

    Log in through your institution

    If your organization uses OpenAthens, you can log in using your OpenAthens username and password. To check if your institution is supported, please see this list. Contact your library for more details.

    Pay Per Article - You may access this article (from the computer you are currently using) for 2 days for US$25.00

    Regain Access - You can regain access to a recent Pay per Article purchase if your access period has not yet expired.

    Offer Reprints

    PreviousNext
    Back to top

    Advertising Disclaimer »

    In this issue

    NeoReviews
    Vol. 21, Issue 1
    1 Jan 2020
    • Table of Contents
    • Table of Contents (PDF)
    • Index by author
    • Complete Issue (PDF)
    View this article with LENS
    PreviousNext
    Email Article

    Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on American Academy of Pediatrics.

    NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

    Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
    Thyroid Function During the Fetal and Neonatal Periods
    (Your Name) has sent you a message from American Academy of Pediatrics
    (Your Name) thought you would like to see the American Academy of Pediatrics web site.
    CAPTCHA
    This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
    Request Permissions
    Article Alerts
    Log in
    You will be redirected to aap.org to login or to create your account.
    Or Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
    Citation Tools
    Thyroid Function During the Fetal and Neonatal Periods
    Liane Eng, Leslie Lam
    NeoReviews Jan 2020, 21 (1) e30-e36; DOI: 10.1542/neo.21-1-e30

    Citation Manager Formats

    • BibTeX
    • Bookends
    • EasyBib
    • EndNote (tagged)
    • EndNote 8 (xml)
    • Medlars
    • Mendeley
    • Papers
    • RefWorks Tagged
    • Ref Manager
    • RIS
    • Zotero
    Quiz
    Share
    Thyroid Function During the Fetal and Neonatal Periods
    Liane Eng, Leslie Lam
    NeoReviews Jan 2020, 21 (1) e30-e36; DOI: 10.1542/neo.21-1-e30
    del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
    Print
    Download PDF
    Insight Alerts
    • Table of Contents

    Jump to section

    • Article
      • Abstract
      • Education Gaps
      • Objectives
      • Introduction
      • Fetal Thyroid Gland Development
      • Fetal Thyroid Hormone Production and Maternal Thyroid Influence
      • Transition from Fetal to Neonatal Thyroid Hormone Production
      • Newborn Screening for Congenital Hypothyroidism
      • Differences in Thyroid Function Test Patterns Based on Neonatal Status
      • Conclusion
      • Footnotes
      • References
    • Figures & Data
    • Info & Metrics
    • Comments
    • Quiz

    Related Articles

    • PubMed
    • Google Scholar

    Cited By...

    • No citing articles found.
    • Google Scholar

    More in this TOC Section

    • Neonatal Dermatology: The Normal, the Common, and the Serious
    • Protection of the Newborn Through Vaccination in Pregnancy
    • Update on the Use of Intravenous Immunoglobulin in Pregnancy
    Show more Articles

    Similar Articles

    • Journal Info
    • Editorial Board
    • Overview
    • Licensing Information
    • Authors/Reviewers
    • Author Guidelines
    • Submit My Manuscript
    • Librarians
    • Institutional Subscriptions
    • Usage Stats
    • Support
    • Contact Us
    • Subscribe
    • Resources
    • Media Kit
    • About
    • NeoReviewsPlus
    • International Access
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Statement
    • FAQ
    • AAP.org
    • shopAAP
    • Follow American Academy of Pediatrics on Instagram
    • Visit American Academy of Pediatrics on Facebook
    • Follow American Academy of Pediatrics on Twitter
    • Follow American Academy of Pediatrics on Youtube
    • RSS
    • NeoReviews® and NeoReviewsPlus™ are supported, in part, through an educational grant from Abbott Nutrition, a division of Abbott Laboratories, Inc.
    American Academy of Pediatrics

    © 2021 American Academy of Pediatrics