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 .

I've just started reading Alan Beer's book about getting/staying pregnant. It's amazing how often thyroid stuff is cropping up.
Thanks for the welcome Supersunnyday

Hi, can I join in? :)

Been diagnosed hypo for 3 years, though they diagnosed me with m.e. 6 years prior so I think I was probably subclinical back then. TSH 21 at diagnoses (ironically, I actually felt fine and it got picked up on a screening for something else), then up and down and up and down ever since, in no particular relation to the level of medication I'm on. I have an endo appt in an hour, so fingers crossed it's ok atm.

Been TTC since March, so not too long, but it is frustrating - I spent the past ten years trying desperately not to conceive, and now I'm ready nothing's doing!

Also came off antidepressants (depression caused by thyroid-related fatigue) and cerazette in March -- in hindsight, coming off antidepressants and having hormone-fuelled periods returning at the same time was probably not the wisest choice I've ever made!!! Ha ha

My periods returned really quickly and they've been really regular after coming off cerazette, which is a relief after everything I've read since starting ttc, but they're 5 weeks apart and they're comparatively light and short so I've no clue if I'm actually ovulating - those pee-sticks always show negative but I've also heard they're not that reliable.

So that's me, in a nutshell :o)

Hello, thought I would drop back in again for a guest appearance :) I have had an under active thyroid/hashimotos since I was around 21 and do manage to keep the symptoms and levels under control most of the time, just every couple of years they go a bit odd and I need to increase my dosage.

I just wanted to ask SuperSunnyDay whether you have had your thyroid antibodies tested? I had a miscarriage (my third overall but the other two were when I was 19 and 20 and passed me by in a bit of a drunken, I don't want a baby anyway haze) in March at three months pregnant and because I already knew I had raised thyroid antibodies - did a bit of research afterwards and found high thyroid antibodies are closely linked to a high level of NK cells and immune problems that can cause miscarriage. There's a lot of good stuff about it in that book that Iggi mentions:

HERE is a link to it on Amazon.

I don't want to freak anyone out as there are plenty of people with thyroid problems and high antibodies that have healthy babies but just in case I would strongly advise anyone with a thyroid problem to check for raised thyroid antibodies just to be sure xx

My TSH came back 2.0 which is great :D

SuperSunnyDay, can you point me in the direction of a guide to charting? :)

Ahhh, you are about to have a baby Supersunny! How fantastic. I didn't realise, given that I had just dropped in from nowhere. Yes definitely do read the book for next time as apparently it can be triggered after the first pregnancy. But looks like everything has gone well for you so that's wonderful. Yes do check your thyroid antibodies for the next one :)

I was only ttc for three months before getting pregnant with the one I miscarried but it was quite casual ttc with no charting or anything. Am hoping it won't take so long now I have treatment but I am not sure. And of course the fear is that even if I do get pregnant the very high levels of NK cells I have could make things go wrong again. So many scary variables! My cycles pre mc were always around 33 days but the shortest was 29 and the longest around 45! Generally though they weren't that hideous. Since mc the three I have had have all been around 30 days so it seems to have regulated them a bit, quite bizarrely. The steroids I am now on to ttc might affect things though.

Snowgoose I have started charting in the last week or so ttc #1 I guess, and first attempt since mc) and it's certainly a revelation. Everyone, including me, seems to use fertilityfriend. I bought a thermometer from Boots and just started from day one of the cycle when my period properly started. 2 is a good TSH to have definitely, so that's good news. Warning, it can get a little obsessive. But join in!

THIS thread is great for advice and chatting about charting.

That's lovely Supersunnyday, though I bet you're fed up waiting! I was not diagnosed when I had my son, but I do remember feeling like a weight was lifted the day he was delivered - I think my thyroid just recovered really fast. Will be thinking of you x

Hi been reading all the advice on this thread, one question if anyone can help does your TSH have to been 2 or under for the whole cycle of TTC or by implantation (if pregnancy did occur)? I am at 2.9 at the mo and due to ovulate in 9 days time my dr said my thyroid will be in range by then. I dont know what to do go ahead this month or cancel another cycle :( Any advice would be much appreciated.

Prior to implantation I don't see how anything could be affected by a lightly high tsh level. I don't think I would wait, if I were you, but obviously don't take my word for it! I take it your doctor is happy for you to ttc? Good luck whatever you decide!

Hi, my TSH is 2.6 and I am 5 and a half weeks pregnant. My GP and consultant are both happy with this level so I think you would be fine to ttc

Congratulations sunnyday wow you must have made that little fella very comfy in there if he wouldn't come out till 40+15 xxx
Consultant wants to double my dose from 50 to 100, seems a bit much to me but i guess he is the expert, got a GP apointment in the morning to sort out the prescription, might ask them if maybe I can go to 75 for a bit first, dont want to end up hyper! I am 6+1 today and feeling rotten in a good pregnant way x

They put me on 100 in the end, the GP felt like it was an ok rise in pregnancy and if you look at my T4 rather than my tsh I can actually do with going up quite a bit, if i start to feel off at all i will go back but if not I will get my bloods done in 3 weeks time.
How do you feel when you feel hyper?

Thanks sunnyday I will keep a watch out for that. Not sure I will go hyper as my t4 was 87 and the higher limit is 150 so quite a way to go before I get too much thyroxine, think thats why he wanted to up my dose so much. How is your little one doing? and do they check the baby for thyroid problems when born?

Congratulations Supersunnyday, that's great news. Hope you are both doing well now.
Back ttc again this month. Just got latest thyroid results, on same dose but t4 and tsh both keep moving around over the last 6 months. Not sure what this means, if anything!

Congratulations Supersunnyday a lovely baby boy! Hope all is going ok ciwi how far gone are you now?

Iggii lots of luck this month :)

I am on CD 19 now the dreaded wait is killing me! fertility drugs have been playing havoc with my moods poor dh ttc is so stressful :( good news tsh is now 1.70 :) has taken a long old time to get it down from 25.1!

I went to a thyroid specialist and he was amazing talked me through everything, had a good feel of my neck and then did a very thorough ultrasound, blood tests. He told me that my thyroid during pregnancy should be 0.5-1.5 and the rest of the time 2.50 due to my Hashimotos. I will get his full report sent to me soon.

Do any of you avoid certain foods etc due to the thyroid?

Hi bebe I am 7+1 today so still a looong way to go. Good luck with the 2ww, hope you get your bfp at the end of it! I don't aviod certain foods but I try to eat 2 brazil nuts a day - I know it sounds weird but it's supposed to help reduce the antibodies i think because of the selenium in them. Great news that your tsh has come down, I had a struggle to get someone to up my dose as my tsh was 2.7, eventually the consultant did (I had to ring his secretary and pester him that way), go for bloods in about 3 weeks to see what my levels are like on 100mcgs. How long did it take you to get your level from 25? Mine was 11 and it took about 2 months to get it to 2.7 which i dont think is that long.

Hi ciwi it took 12 weeks in total to get down from 25. Before this in March it was 0.1 so Dr halved my dose to 25mg it only took 5 weeks to shot up to 25.1 so over the past 12 weeks i have had to be on a mixture of 50 and 100mg each day with tests every two weeks to monitor progress. 12 weeks probably isn't too long but when wanting to start ttc again it feels like an eternity!

Great news about your dr upping your dose i hope the blood tests are good for you.

I'm not sure if it is connected with thyroid but does anyone else suffer a lot with anemia? I am always low no matter what i eat and i avoid tea/coffee etc so i have to take iron tablets everyday in the evening (so it doesnt interfere with meds)

Off to buy some brazil nuts now thanks for the tip!