No periods for 5 months since coming off pill been diagnosied with under active thyroid

[Lyd02]

Hi, I came off of the contraceptive pill 5 months ago to ttc. No periods atall since coming off, I’ve been to the doctors and they have done some blood tests and confirmed that I have an under active thyroid and that it has been causing fertility problems so very unlikely I could get pregnant at the moment. They have said I need to wait 3 months before having another blood test and if the results come back the same again then they will put me on medication for life. Has anyone else experienced this? I am wondering how long after being put on medication does it take to get periods back and how long roughly would it take to conceive? We would of been ttc for 8 months by the time I have my next blood test to confirm the thyroid condition. Thanks x

I've got an under active thyroid, am on thyroxine for it. It takes a while for the levels to build up, so can take a while for the symptoms to get better.

Can't answer the rest though as I'd had a hysterectomy a couple of years before that so no periods anyway or plans to get pregnant!

You get free prescriptions for life though! All of them, not just the thyroxine.

I have hypothyroid and was told if anything the condition makes periods heavier (I’m being treated at an IVF clinic by someone who has written papers on female hormone conditions & their impact on fertility so he definitely knows his stuff). However, hypo can sometimes be caused by conditions that cause the thyroid to go hyper too which can impact periods. It can also make autoimmune conditions such such as PCOS and POF more likely.

You should obtain a referral to a gaenocologist to start with.

And no thyroxine prescriptions aren’t always free. You have to be very, very hypothyroid for the NHS Gp to give you a prescription.

A diagnosis of hypothyroidism requiring thyroid replacement (I.e. being treated with thyroxine) does make you entitled to free prescriptions. Doesn't matter how severe it is.

Your tick the relevant box on the form, your GP signs and sends it off and you receive an exemption certificate.

And no thyroxine prescriptions aren’t always free. You have to be very, very hypothyroid for the NHS Gp to give you a prescription.

@Cherries101, perhaps you can clarify what you mean by very very hypothyroid? Because on the face of it, your assertion is nonsense.

Lyd02, do you know what your test results are? Hypothyroidism can cause fertility problems, but I'm surprised a doctor categorically stated it has been. Many women with thyroid problems do conceive.

What were your actual levels? Ask your surgery for them. For you to have no periods then I'd assume your tsh isquite high and t4 low.
Are you symptomatic in other ways?

And Cherries all thyroxine patients get free scripts whether you take 25mga day or 300mg.

@bombardier25966 @meetjoeturquoise I don’t know what my actual results / levels were she didn’t say. I didn’t know anything about hypothyroid until I’ve been looking up more online since my appointment. All my blood form says for my next test is “previously raised TSH and positive TPO” but that doesn’t really mean anything to me. Looking up the symptoms online of hypothyroidism I’d say the only ones I have are often cold and tired most days, but it’s defiantly copeable and no where near as extreme as it looks like some people suffer with. I don’t have problems with weight or any of the other common symptoms. I also have an ultrasound next week so see if I have any other problems with my ovaries and to rule out PCOS too. I’m assuming that because of the no periods I haven’t been ovulating which is why she says I am unable to get pregnant at the moment. I was on the pill for 12 years before this so may have messed my body up in other ways too. All a bit confusing still for me but I will make sure I ask for more information about my levels next time I go x

I’m hypo and it took a while to conceive but within the “normal” range.

I’ve taken meds since I was in my early twenties and it absolutely changed my life. You probably have been “coping” for a while without really noticing and then when you start life is just so much easier!

It might be a long journey but there is no reason why being hypo in its own should prevent you from getting pregnant.

Positive TPO means positive antibodies so it's Hashimotos which is autoimmune hypothyroidism.

When mine was first discovered I hadn't gained weight and my symptoms were vague like yours, cold and lethargic. I was started on 25mg of levothyroxine but the disease progressed and I'm on 150mg now.

I wasn't ttc and was menopausal when I was diagnosed, so can't help with the fertility questions, I'm afraid.

What I can tell you is that I felt loads better within a couple of days of taking thyroxine, and bloody cross with the GP who'd refused to test for hsypothyroidism for 5 years, despite a family history of it! And I qualified for free scrips once diagnosed.

One of the first things my gp did when I went to them having not conceived was check my thyroid. I have underactive thyroid too and currently take 100 thyrixin but it has been less and has been more.
The standard time between tests is at least three months. Any change in dose can take that long to have a effect.
Not sure about your periods. There are lots of factors that could be involved there.

@talkingfrog did you manage to get pregnant in the end or are they still trying to get you on the correct dosage?

I’m hypo, on 175mcg/day, had been for 6 years when we conceived DC3 (had no probs). It is possible. Good luck!

My antibodies were 200. My free throxine was just below normal. My TSH was 30. According to my IVF consultant in the UK I was on moderate and started on 100mg. The Thyroid specialist I saw in the US increased the dose to 150mg and suggested I get seen by a specialist to look at my thyroid all of my results are enough to diagnose Hashimotos. (i had all the associated symptoms too — parallel autoimmune condition, hypothyroid face, dry brittle hair). I went to several NHS services (including my GP) and was told as I had one normal Thyroid result (the free thyroxine) I was not serious enough and they would not transfer my private prescription to the NHS. So I’m not bullshitting.

Suggest you go private and get medication if needed as the NHS really doesn’t take this seriously. Like Metformin (which I also have to pay for a as a PCOS sufferer), thyroxine related private prescriptions are usually processed on the NHS prescription charge. So you won’t pay more than whatever that is (it was £8 in dec, not sure is this has changed in Jan).

If you have a diagnosed thyroid condition requiring thyroxine then all your prescriptions are free.

But it’s hit/miss getting properly diagnosed and then getting levels correct as the uk is still using outdated ranges.

cherries101 if your still having symptoms then go back to the gp and ask for referral to an endocrinologist.

Sorry, only just seen your question. Took a little while to get dose right, complicated by me also having anaemia a few months later (iron stops the body absorbing thyroxine).

Once everything was settled we were referred for fertility treatment. (other issues too so not guaranteed we wouldn't get pregnant naturally but less likely. I was also 35 by then).
We were fortunate to get pregnant on our first go so the thyroxine levels must have been right. It was then more closely monitored when pregnant by my consultant. (my age, thyroid and having had treatment all meant I was under a consultant).
Our little miracle is now 7.

@talkingfrog thanks for your reply. Glad it all worked out for you in the end :)

I was diagnosed with hypo (Hashimoto's) last February and started on Thyroxine, was pregnant by June once my TSH had come under 2. Now 34 weeks and have been closely monitored throughout with regular blood tests, but no issues at all. I was recommended to increase my Thyroxine dose by 25mcg as soon as I got a BFP, but haven't had to increase it anymore since. Good luck!

I'm hypothyroid and have been taking medication for it for about 8 years. We successfully conceived after about 4-5 months (pretty normal, especially as I'm 40) and our little girl us now nearly 3 months old and asleep on my lap. It can absolutely be done, and you're likely to feel much better once your levels are sorted.