Early Miscarriage- could underactive thyroid be to blame?

[Proudmummy2014]

Hi,

I had a very early miscarriage recently, and can't help thinking perhaps it's my underactive thyroid that contributed. Is there anyone else here that's got this condition and has had a healthy pregnancy?

I spoke to my doctor about it, and they said with my current dosage that my thyroid condition is within the "normal range" even though when ive been doing my own research, it states that ideal level is TSH

Sorry to hear about your loss. No advice on the thyroid side unfortunately :(

cks.nice.org.uk/hypothyroidism#!scenario:3

Can I suggest that you draw your doctor 's attention to the NICE guidelines, which are quite clear.

Un- or under-treated hypothyroidism is a major cause of recurrent miscarriage. Just another part of the great thyroid scandal I'm afraid.

Thank you- i did read out all the information from NICE today in my appointment. She said "stress can also cause miscarriages, you should stop reading so much on the Internet"

There is evidence to suggest an incorrectly treated under-active thyroid can in some cases result in a higher chance of miscarriage, however early miscarriages are common and there is little known about the other reasons.

FWIW I got pregnant with TSH of around 4 and until 16 weeks had a TSH of 4 when my endocrinologist increased my does - but only because I asked, based on my other thyroid symptoms, not because she felt it necessary for the health of the pregnancy.

Hi op, I have an under active thyroid and have 2 healthy children. I was treated according to the nice guidelines but I had to push for early referral and a dose increase by my GP. I did suffer 2 losses before that which may be due to my thyroid condition being undiagnosed but the consultant felt that my levels were not high enough to cause the problems I had. Your thyroid may have contributed to your miscarriage or it may have been unrelated, I don't suppose you will ever know. I am sorry for your loss, I would advise in your next pregnancy that you go in armed with the guidelines and request that you are treated accordingly. I can't see how they can refuse when the guidelines are in front of them. Good luck

@Junosmum- did you have your dosage increased as soon as your gp found out you were pregnant, or did it remain the same. When I found out I was pregnant mine was just kept the same, whereas the NICE guidelines say the dose should be increased as soon as pregnancy is detected

@Mrsmulder- thanks for replying and I'm glad you got the care that you needed during your pregnancy according to the NICE guidelines. I'm going to make an appointment with another doctor and reference these guidelines as I want to be in good shape while TTC as well as the next pregnancy itself ofcourse

mine is over massively over at times it is a cause of miscarriage my doctors didn't tell me this in fact no one did they just brushed off my question as to why i was being so monitored by consultants etc during my first pregnancy later they confessed my thyroid was so high they didn't want to add stress and maybe cause a miscarriage!

sorry for your loss but ive had three children all when i have a bad thyroid issue so it is possible the consultant told me i had to reduce my meds when im pregnant (so increasing yours makes sense as you are opposite to me)

can you find a specialist or get a referral to a consultant? ive always been able to access one when ive needed to or my doctor has rang him up for advice but we do have extra friendly doctors over here so that might not be the norm

It was kept the same until I saw the endo at 16weeks.

If your TSH is within the normal range (about 0.35-5, depending on your local lab), then the chances of your thyroid contributing to an early miscarriage are really very, very, very slim. I just wanted to reassure you.

While recurrent miscarriage is related to undertreated hypothyroidism, we are talking in the realms of TSHs much higher than the normal range. Sadly, miscarriage is an all too common experience of many women with and without thyroid conditions, and it is most likely nothing to do with your thyroid.

The guidelines of TSH less than 2.0/2.5 are really a consensus, to ensure that TSH remains in a safe normal range throughout pregnancy with a little leeway.

It is fairly common advice anyway to keep TSH in the lower half of the normal range regardless of male/female/not TTC/TTC, so a slight increase in thyroxine might be needed regardless.

I have seen lots and lots and lots of women have very healthy pregnancies with thyroid disease (including TSH>150 at conception!) and hope that it isn't too long for you.

I have two children although had a mc in between. My medication was increased as soon as I found out I was pregnant on recommendation from my endocrinologist. They also wanted my TSH below 2.5.

I would go back to the gp and wave the nice guidelines at them. The baby relies on your hormone production in the first trimester which is why you have to have your dose increased as far as I can remember.

I'm ttc at the moment and my tsh was just under 4 at my last test. I had to fight with my gp but she agreed to increase my dose by 25mcg to get my tsh down. I'm being retested in a few weeks and hope it's worked! I feel loads better on a slightly higher dose too. If you're worried I would ask for a small increase and see how it goes.