underactive thyroid...what next?

[elesbells]

haven't been on mumsnet for a while but i so need some advice please..
been ttc for well over a year now i have three dd's aged 22, 20 and 5. we've been to see the doctor and my partner an i have both been tested. he's fine and my scan showed my ovaries where all in order and blood tests at day 22 of my cycle showed up normal. i had another blood test at day 4 and at the last minute the doctor added a thyroid test. this came back that my thyroid was under active and Ive been put on 100micrograms of levothyroxine. My doctor says that's probably the reason that i cannot conceive. but its kind of been left at that...i did ask if it would correct itself now i am on the medication but she didn't seem to know. Ive tried to research it but it comes up with doom and gloom and just makes me depressed tbh.

what i'm really looking for is to try to find out if there is any way to boost fertility or indeed it will just correct itself....i just don't know. it doesn't help that i am 42 i just feel time is running out...any help would be much appreciated...

I have an underactive thyroid and suffered from infertility

It took a while for the thyroxine to get my blood levels just right

I would ask to be referred to an endocrinolgist as time isn't on your side, and they are the specialists in this kind of thing

thank you i will ask to be referred..i dont know much about how the blood levels work...or even what is normal i was sent home with a printed off leaflet from the internet which just told me what causes under active thyroid...so no help really from the doc...

You should have your levels checked on an annual basis

But bearing in mind you are ttc and time is running out, ask to have them checked sooner

You have started on a good dose, my initial dose was 25mcg which had to be increased over time to 100mcg where it has stayed steady for many years now

Have you been reassured that you are ovulating ? I wasn't ovulating, so things look more hopeful for you if you are.

I think even without the thyroid problem you should be seeing a specialist if you haven't already

it was my endocrinologist who sorted out my problems in the end

the doctor said i had ovulated that month according to the blood results...but i had been using the ovulation prediction tests for four months beforehand and according to those i wasn't ovulating (although i know i could have been ovulating earlier or later and just missing it on the tests) im having my levels checked every six weeks at the moment...im due my second test in two weeks. my doc has said she cannot refer me to fertility specialists as i am over 39 and do not qualify

the test the doc (your GP?) did was simply a "snap shot" of that individual month

so you may or may not be ovulating every month (which is very possible bearing in mind your age)

my endocrinolgist measured my sex hormone levels for 3 months consecutively (progesterone, LH, FSH, oestrogen, androgens etc) which gives a clearer picture

that is rubbish re, being too old to be referred for infertility treatment

you may be too old for something like NHS IVF at your age certainly, but I never needed anything so invasive

I was successful in conceiving with Clomiphene (Clomid) which was originally prescribed by the endo, then with my 2nd pregnancy by a common-or-garden gynaecologist (not a fertility specialist)

insist and insist again !!!

ah thank you...i read somewhere about clomid too....hmmm ok im going to the docs tomorrow and insist on a specialist. thank you so much :)

I wish you all the very best x

Bump this thread again, I am surprised you haven't had more replies.

I am certainly no expert, and my problems were all 15+ years ago so research has probably moved on...I did become a bit of an "armchair expert" at the time though

PM me if you want a chat, ever.

thanks i will let you know how i get on....here's hoping ;)

I will throw duchesse over here, iirc she had thyroid issues. Sorry I can't be more help, this is a new topic so it doesn't get much traffic.

First post. Woo.

dw was diagnosed with under active thyroid about 6m into ttc. Came out of the blue - we knew she had pcos, but the thyroid was surprising. Anyway, levothyroxine and several blood tests later (about 3m in total) and the relevant levels were back to normal. It was that simple, so hopefully your levels will get sorted that way too.

Nb, we were told that the thyroid levels were unlikely to cause infertility, but that we should not be ttc while the levels were too low. In fact, we were advised to up the levothyroxine by a third upon successful conception.

Defo find somebody who is a specialist in this. We didn't have an endocrinologist, but an assisted conception consultant who had a special interest in thyroid levels. You want somebody who knows what they are doing.

Hope all goes well. Sorry - a bit long. I'll get the hang of it.

Hi there, don't give up hope. I have an under active thyroid and take 150 mug of Thyroxine daily. I was TTC for 3.5 years and after they eventually did a thyroid test, they found I was hypothyroid and started me on thyroxine straight away. Two cycles later with the smallest amount of clomid I was pregnant and have a healthy, wonderful 2 year old now. Get your thyroxine dose analysed every 4 weeks if you can and I would also suggest supplements like Maca that really help to improve your condition. Clomid may be all you need. Very best of luck x