TTC or Pregnant with an under-active Thyroid.

[hippychick66]

Hi,

We were talking about this a lot on the charting thread and thought it would be good to start a separate thread.

There's about 3 of us at the moment but please do join us too if you are TTC with this added probem.

My results were 9.07 and then a few weeks later 5.5. I'm due another blood test in 5 weeks and hopefully my GP should be starting me on Thyroxin soon.

Quite worried cos the NHS guidelines say your numbers should be a lot lower when pregnant. still i haven't got that BFP yet so I guess I'll worry then.

ladygonegaga and Bessie26 - hurry up and join me here .

Hello all. Have had my thyroxine levels increased so will hopefully start feeling full of energy soon!
Sorry snowglo don't know anything about that particular combo.

Hello all. Have had my thyroxine levels increased so will hopefully start feeling full of energy soon!
Sorry snowglo don't know anything about that particular combo.

Oh Well, thought I could ask. To be honest, in RL, I know a good few hypothyroid people and only one other is on the combination therapy, seems most are treated on T4 alone (which sadly did not help a large number of my symptoms, despite constant ramp ups in dosage).

Anyhow, have had a good read through the posts on this thread, and am so glad bessie sent me the link, you all seem like a lovely bunch and I wish you well with all things TTC/pregnancy related !

I have a friend on your combo therapy too, they ordinary approach just wasn't working for her and she got a lot out of the different approach. (She's not ttc though, far as I know!)

hippy - onward & upward is the only way

snow - sorry no-one's been able to help with your T3/T4 combination yet, but while your here - what is T3? I know absolutely nothing about it, but split mentioned the other day she'd had hers measured (I'm not sure if I have or not)

iggi good you've had your meds increased - I had my bloods re-done last week, but feel ok tiredness-wise at the moment, so am not expecting to have them increased....

Hi again bessie - I was unsure also what T3 was until recently.

From what I understand, the thyroid gland makes 4 hormones - T4,3,2,1, in decreasing amounts, mostly T4. T4 is inactive until the body converts it into T3, which is active and gets right into the cells of the body. For some people, this conversion does not always happen well, and they are supplemented with T3. When bloods are tested, T3 and T4 levels should be looked at in conjunction with TSH, which just assesses a feedback mechanism and not actually a level of somthing within your blood.

There is a lot about this on www.tpa-uk.org.uk

Before the use of synthetic T3 and T4, the standard medication for hypothyroid patients was natural dessicated thyroid (NDT), which was the thryoid gland from a pig (!), crushed up into a pill, and people felt well on it as it was similar to what a human thyroid gland produces. Some people still prefer to take this (eg Armour), though it is very hard to be prescribed it in the UK, as is T3.

I had to go to a good few doctors until I found one happy to try me on T3, have never looked back.

Hello. Have just got back from the doctors. Blood tests have cofirmed I do have thyroiditis, now need more tests to try and find out why.
My levels have gone from 20.97 to 1.93 which means nothing to me but it sounds good
I need to have my levels checked again in two months but I feel so tired and fed up I was quite suprised that my levels had come down so much.

tinky I guess it's good they have confirmed it's thyroiditis, as at least you know what it is? will the tests to find out why take long?

Is strange you are so tired when your levels have dropped so much, but good that they are going to continue to keep an eye on them. Hope it all gets sorted for you soon.

snow thanks for the info on T3 - i feel like i've learnt something today Glad we get synthetic T3/4 now - I don't want to be swallowing pig glands first thing in the morning!

I had my bloods re-done last week, and when I phoned yesterday I got told my results were "satisfactory" - the receptionist lady didn't have any more info than that, so I'm going to have to work up the enthusiasm to arrange for a GP to call me back to let me know the actual numbers... it's always such a PITA as we just end up playing telephone tennis all day!

Hi All

I am 5 weeks pregnant and been hypothyroid for more than 10 years. Bloods today show TSH 12.47 and T4 15. I am on 100mcg thyroxine daily.

Waiting for Obs Consultant to phone me back. I am so worried there will be damage to baby
:(

hhg Congratulations! Do try not to worry (easier said than done I know!) - it's my understanding that the potential for problems to arise is only for people with UNTREATED thyroid problems. When will the consultant call you back?

Baby steals all your thyroxine during the first 12 weeks, so it's no wonder your body is having to work hard to make more (hence the high TSH) - but your T4 is still within the "normal" range, so you must have enough of that going round your system, which IMO is the important thing.

Thanks very much bessie. Consultant phoned tonight and was very reassuring. I have to double my dose for now. I asked about brain damage etc and she said no, only a risk if prolonged and untreated hypothyroidism. Have given myself such a scare tonight! and I feel really guilty for not being on top of blood tests etc

hhg glad the consultant was able to reassure you! Make sure you get regular blood tests now you are pg - I'm having mine done every 6-8 weeks, which fits in quite nicely with scans & visits to the midwife!

helloooo? anyone there??!

When you can spare a min from your Christmas parties I wondered if you had any tips for remembering to take your meds in the morning?

The last few weeks I've started forgetting to take them - or rather, forgetting to put them on the bedside table when I goto bed (if they're out I usually notice & take them).

This morning I ended up taking them 2hrs later than normal, after I'd had breakfast & my multi-vit (with iron) - I did debate whether it was worthwhile taking it, but I figured it was better than nothing!

Hope you are all well & not stuck in snow? DH got stuck going up a hill & had to abandon his car - he's not sure if he's going to bother trying to get back to it later or not (he is stuck near his mum's so can stay there for the night) xx

Hello Bessie! I'm lurking on MN tonight whilst watching The Apprentice final!

I'm completely with you on remembering to take meds. In the last few weeks I've kind of got my bedside table all organised with tablets, water and thermometer so I'm all ready for the morning. Then just depends on how DS wakes up - if he wakes up calm and chatty, I can leave him in his cot for a bit and get myself organised!
On days when I do miss my chance, I do often take it later in the day. Where I've not been so good is remembering my multivits! I normally take them with my evening meal but just got out of the habit

I need to remember to phone up for my blood test results tomorrow. I need my TSH to be around 2.

Anyone else lurking?

essence think it's just us!

I've tried taking my multi-vits with my evening meal (the packet says to take them with your main meal) but I just can't remember to do it! My little brain can only cope with pills at breakfast!

Did you get your blood test results? My latest TSH was 2.8 - the lowest it's ever been!

Hello Bessie !
That's a great TSH result :)
Got my results and mine was 3.27 so not too bad!

CD13 here so gearing up for some SWI and then the dreaded 2ww! How are you?

Hello. I dipped on to this thread a few weeks ago and I was hoping that I could pop back for a bit more advice....

By way of background, we have been trying for 14 cycles and I was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid in October (TSH of 27 and thyroid levels at the low end of the range and slightly below), Anyway, I was put on thyroxine and within 4 weeks my TSH had come down to 7.9, which is excellent news and my does has been put up from 50 to 75 to bring it down still further.

The reason for the post is that, separately to the thyroid stuff, we have had a first appointment with a fertility consultant as we have been trying for over a year without a sniff of a positive. Both our tests to date have all come back absolutely normal (semen, FSH, LSH, prolactin, plus I have had a lap and dye as have mild endometriosis). I thought, therefore, that it must be the thyroid that is causing things to take a while and, now that it is coming down, we should have a much better chance. However, the doctor told us that provided that you have normal cycles (and mine are regular and tests show I ovulate), then TSH levels are very unlikely to impact on fertility.

We were a bit disappointed by this as we thought that, fingers crossed, it should be more likely to happen for us now. I know it's stupid, but I feel like my new bit of hope has been taken away.

Anyway, sorry for the long post, but I was wondering if what the doctor said ties in with what you have been told or if you have heard that the underactive thyroid can impact on fertility even if you are ovulating normally.

Thank you very much in advance!

Hi Belu, sorry to hear you have had difficulties in TTC. I think that untreated hypothyroidism affects fertility because it can interfere with your cycle and prevent ovulation etc. I didn't think that high TSH was a barrier to pregnancy in itself. I have just had a positive test with a TSH of 12.

I have read though that in most couples who do not conceive after a year, a very high percentage conceive naturally during the 2nd year of trying.

Good Luck! I know what it is like to be worried about things x

Hi everyone,
I have had two MC in the past six months and my mum and uncle both have underactive thyroid. Can anyone advise as to whether if I had the same condition I would be affected? I've seen the posts just above this one and I have a regular 29 day cycle but have never been tested to know whether ovulation is always taking place (I gather you can have periods without ovulating).

I don't have any of the really nasty symptoms that my mum had before she was diagnosed, and which many of you have mentioned. I sometimes go to bed really early but it's not every night. However someone on page 1 of this thread mentioned that they were asymptomatic as well before diagnosis - have I misunderstood or can you have an underactive thyroid without major symptoms?

Hi belu - ditto everything hhg said about thyroids & ovulation. Good news your TSH is coming down, the guidelines say it should be around 2-3 when TTC, how often are they re-testing you?

And hello water - so sorry to hear about your mc. I think thyroid problems can be inherited (I need to speak to my GP about getting DD tested), and not everyone gets the awful symptoms ( I was just very tired), so it might be worth asking your GP if you can be tested? My thyroid problems were picked up when my GP ran some (I think fairly standard) fertility blood tests after my 2nd mc.

essence hope the SWI goes well! When do you usually O?

I'm almost 24weeks now! Still can't quite believe it!

Thanks bessie, sounds like I should speak to my GP about the blood tests. My situation could be exactly the same as yours...good old mumsnet for sharing experience.

Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy!

Thanks bessie and hhg. I know it's good that the TSH is coming down, but was hoping it would magically lead to a BFP! We will just have to keep trying.... It's just really frustrating when there is nothing obviously wrong, but still nothing happens. (Although I know that we are very lucky that there is nothing obviously wrong!)

They're retesting me every six weeks at the moment - it came down really quickly after the first month so am hopeful that I will be close to normal next time.

Hi, hope everyone is well. I am due to have bloods rechecked in a week or so, just hoping my TSH has come down a bit from 12! :)

Hello. I hope that you all had a good Christmas.

I just thought I'd pop back with an update. It seems that the thyroxine may have been a magic solution after all as I got my BFP on Tuesday. I still can't quite believe it (and, in fact, am almost scared to type this in case it disappears!). I'm not due to be tested again for another 3 weeks, but I've got an appointment with my GP for next Tuesday as I think that they like to put your dose up as soon as you get a positive. Not really sure what happens next, but very much looking forward to finding out!

Congratulations Belu - great news! The magic thyroxine - yes Im sure GP will increase thyroxine slightly anyway, before re-testing
.You must be really pleased :o