Underactive thyroid following pregnancy- can’t seem to find an answer

[sthitch]

So I’m trying to find out what I should be looking out for if I’m one of the lucky ones who’s thyroid problems disappear!

I went to the doctors with gallstone type pains back in March (my LO was 6m old) and my blood pressure check showed a really fast heart rate, he thought I may have an overactive thyroid which fitted as I lost my baby weight really fast and was feeling very anxious and on edge. It turned out I had an underactive thyroid and was put on 75mg of levothyroxine, all the issues went and I was no longer foggy headed!

The doctors I’ve seen since have all said they think I will have it for life as it was the lowest figures they have all seen... but I just don’t get it, I had all the symptoms for the opposite so I’m really hoping it’s going to disappear(plus a low dosage has sorted me out) but I can’t seem to get an answer as to what I need to look out for should I no longer need the tablets? Also it says within a year it should go, but is that a year after the birth or a year after it came on?

I would so love to not be on tablets forever! I had my thyroid checked in 2012 and it was fine so I don’t know if it’s something I had for years or came on following pregnancy. I just don’t get it as I’ve never had any symptoms for an underactive thyroid so I can’t seem to accept it!!

This is pretty confusing. You say it was one of the LOWEST figures they’ve seen? A low result on the TSH test indicates hyperthyroidism, not hypothyroidism. A high result indicates hypothyroidism. However, you say you’ve been placed on levothyroxine and it fixed your symptoms, and that wouldn’t have worked if you had hyperthyroidism. So far as I know.

It’s true that pregnancy can affect the levels of both thyroid hormones - T3 and T4, but I don’t have clear figures on how long post-pregnancy before they would return to normal. The reason they’re affected by pregnancy is because they are affected by estrogen levels, so the answer may be your thyroid levels will be “post-pregnancy normal” when your estrogen levels are. This may be determined by blood test or perhaps when you have normal cycles again? As for how to determine if you no longer the need the tablets, the only real way is to have your doctor supervise a taper (75 isn’t that small, actually - I know people on doses of 25 and 50, so I would say if you’re currently feeling “clear” at that dose, then you probably have hypothyroidism) and check your numbers via blood test and by tracking your symptoms (probably track your weight, your feelings of anxiety or foggy-headed-ness on a scale of 1 to 10 a few times a day, any other symptoms, and write it down).

However, it might not be a bad idea to explore why you’re against an every day tablet. As women, we should be taking at the very least a multi-vitamin every day and probably other supplements since even 5-a-day can’t give you everything, and taking an extra pill at the same time shouldn’t change your lifestyle. Try to view it as taking a pill to be healthy, not because you’re sick.

Sorry if this isn’t too helpful, as this is a tough one, but let me know if you have other specific questions, and have this as I’m sure this isn’t easy for you. Good luck!

Thank you for the reply! I’m sure they said lowest, I could be wrong and it could be worst figures, but both doctors mentioned it. The doctor who sent me originally for the tests even had asked me to do another blood test in case my results were mixed with someone else’s, he just couldn’t understand it as he said I should have been very very ill, he was looking at me like this just doesn’t make sense, checking my shins like why are they normal? He just couldn’t believe the results belonged to me, I honestly think that’s why I can’t seem to accept it. I know it’s not a huge deal but it would be nice to not have to rely on tablets to fully function.

I guess I see it as an inconvenience as I have to take it half an hour before breakfast etc, I’ve always been really healthy without the need to take anything, never had weight issues etc so I just struggle to accept it because I didn’t have any symptoms except a foggy brain.

I didn’t realise 75mg wasn’t a low dose, the doctor also expected I would need at least 125mg to get my blood tests to normal.

He looked at your shins, you say? Yes, that would be hypothyroidism then - he was looking for a skin rash that can show up on the shins, but as far as I know, it’s not a sign of severity (maybe I’m wrong! I’ll have to actually look it up now).

I think the reason this is tough to handle is because you may not be thinking of it from the other side? Though we don’t have exact figures, we suspect some percentage of people have thyroid problems and have no symptoms so if you have any symptoms, you are already at a level where your thyroid hormones are doing something significant to your body. Some people may have hypothyroidism and no symptoms; some may have it severely and just have one or two symptoms like you.

I’ve been on thyroxine and can completely agree it’s a pain in the morning. Is there any chance you could use this time for a routine? Maybe take the 30 minutes to exercise, take your shower, do e-mails, get the kids ready? I found routine made it easier than thinking, “Well great, I’ve taken a pill and now I’ve just screwed up the morning schedule.”

Your doctor should be repeating your thyroid tests to see how the thyroxine is affecting your levels so maybe this will help you, too. If you are not hypothyroid, then your thyroxine dose would make your numbers go “haywire.” If, on the other hand, your doctor can show you they are heading in the right direction or now in a normal range, then you might take some comfort that you’re not doing anything unnecessary.

I’m sorry I don’t have a better answer. It’s true that a certain percentage of people with subclinical (barely abnormal) results can have their condition “clear” up, but it doesn’t sound like yours was subclinical.

I do hope it works out! And let me know if you have any questions.

Or you can take thyroxine at bedtime if that works better for you.

It sure if this thread is still active, but I'm going through similar atm. I've just recently had baby number 4, he is now 7months. I noticed symptoms not long after my 6 week check up, I hadn't lost any of the weight. I still looked heavily pregnant and was continually putting weight on, I had always been a size 8, through pregnancy I'd go up to a 10 now I'm an 14/16. I was (still am) exhausted, always sleeping and struggling to stay awake and was constantly sweating. I went and saw doc when my baby was 4month old, got booked in straight for tests, they came unclear so had more, they came back boarderline and they suggested do another so I did another, results came back do another test 3 months later...that's it, I've not been told anything else or what to do next or anything...

It's now almost 3 months later due my next function test In 3 weeks, since my last test and up to this point my symptoms have become a lot worse. To the point where I'm falling into depression, I can barely stand let alone walk some days because my legs are so weak, I'm sweating more and showering several times a day.

Can I request an earlier test? Or would I need to wait?

You can always ask but they tell me it takes a while for thyroid results to change, as in they won’t change over a week or so. Are you on tablets? I’m currently on 3 month blood tests to check i’m on the right dosage/it hasn’t gone away (fingers crossed) but eventually that will change to annually. I previously had a blood test a month earlier by request and they were fine about it.