TTC with hypothyroidism, can anyone help?

[Mauricethemagicmonkey]

I have nc for this, just incase!

I'm currently ttc no.2 having been diagnosed quite a while after having no.1 that I have hypothyroidism. I'm now on levothyroxine 25mg.

Reading around I get the impression that the optimum tsh levels to get pregnant are 1-2. Mine have risen to 2.5. My GP just says its normal and that they don't have any policy for routinely testing blood. They don't test for T3 either.

I'm not due to see my consultant for a while but I'm wondering if my GP is being too dismissive. Is it possible to conceive with an underactive thyroid? I got pregnant straight away with no.1, before I had problems.

I'm not sure if I'm worrying for nothing. I also have a prolactinoma and again my levels are rising and are higher than my consultant wants. I feel like as long as I'm in the normal range my GP doesn't care regardless of what I've been told or read.

I did conceive (ds4) with a TSH of 8 plus. But fertility is a strange thing, multifactorial in the sense that so much else can knock it out and I was clearly lucky that all else was fine with me and with dh. I'm not sure how a prolactinoma can affect fertility - I know what it is, just can't recall the details of what the hormones do. I will look it up, out of curiosity really.

Have you considered a different GP? Even without trying to conceive, many of us feel so much better with a lower than 2.5 TSH. Most people have more than 25mcgs of thyroxine too. I am on 200mcgs (which is quite a lot, I know) but only once I was on that (my tsh was around 1 by then, I think) did I feel my residual symptoms had stopped.

I'm on 125mcgs thyroxine and TTC since January... sometimes i wonder if I should up the dose...

I've been hypothyroid for years (treated with thyroxine) and conceived with no problems. Although because of the thyroid condition I was closely monitored at the hospital with extra appointments and scans. Also my thyroxine medicine was raised slightly to provide for the baby.

Hope it happens soon for you x

Just to add - If it were me I'd make another appointment with another gp, you never know, they might advise you to raise your dosage and then retest. I was told that as long as you are within the "normal" range then the best dosage for you is the one on which you feel well.

I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism after DC1 was born. I was on 100mcg when I conceived DC2 and am now on 150mcg.

Personally, for me to feel 'well', my TSH needs to right at the bottom of the normal range, around 0.4 I think. My GP decides the dosage based on how I feel in addition to the recommended TSH levels, so might be worth seeking a second opinion and speaking with your consultant.

Have you had your bloods redone since you started taking thyroxine? I believe you're meant to have them tested every 8 weeks or so until your TSH levels seem stable / you stop experiencing hypo symptoms.

FYI if you do conceive, it's important to see the GP straight away as the recommendation is to increase thyroxine levels by around 30% immediately, and I think TSH is meant to be under 2 in the first trimester at least (can't remember re the rest of pregnancy). Your TSH level also needs to be closely monitored throughout and you should be referred to an endocrinologist for additional antenatal care. The first GP I saw when pregnant wasn't aware of this; I had done some research so went for a second opinion and the next GP I saw was quite shocked that I hadn't been informed of any of this ...

Hope it works out for you!