Underactive thyroid & pregnancy

[Shellywelly1973]

I've searched for information on the affects of an underactive thyroid & pregnancy but the majority of the information is based on a women being diagnosed &treated before pregnancy.

I had a mmc in February. Been TTC since. Went to GP as i wanted to make sure everything was ok. Had blood tests and it was found that i have an underactive thyroid. My TSH was 57 instead of 2, where it should be if trying ttc. We stop trying ttc instantly due to risks of brain development & miscarriage.

A few days later i found out i am pregnant. My GP increased my meds from 50mcg of thyroxine to 150mcg after he spoke to an endocrinologist. I was going on holiday the day i did the pregnancy test. I returned to UK last night. Im due to have more blood tests on Mon & need to make an appointment to see GP for a referal to an endocrinologist.

Has anyone else been in this situation? Im convinced Im going to mc again...Any success stories? Any good advice or sources of information, would be greatly appreciated!

TIA.

I was 3wks & 5 days when i poas. So been on 150mcg of thyroxine since then. Now in 5 wk &2 days.

My under active thyroid wasn't discovered until I was 5 month pregnant. I will never know if it was always under active or if the condition was triggered by pregnancy. Once it was discovered, I also went onto 150 a day and had regular blood tests before and after DD was born to stabilise the levels. DD is now 5 and completely fine. No issues in any area. And because after the birth, my levels regulated sooner than the blood test results came through, I lost the baby weight almost straight away. Don't worry.

Hi i had tsh > 100 at bfp. Currently 32 weeks and all ok so far. Have been told that we will just have to wait and see re reduced cognitive ability. Most baby's are fine. So I've not really worried. No point. What will be will be. Got tsh down to 2 by 20 weeks. Take your meds regularly and not at same time as folic or vits. (Can effect absorption) regular blood tests. ) )monthly.
On phone now so can't find links but lots of threads on here if you do search.
Congratulations and good luck xx

Thanks for replying...that really helps. Ive not put on any weight & all the symptoms i have been experiencing, i put down to anxiety/ hormones/mc.

My GP was surprised i hadn't put any weight on & looked at me like i was a mad lady when i explained away the symptoms...

Glad your GP is on the case, I'm sure as it was detected so early and you are being treated effectively you and your baby will be fine. Congratulations! x

I've had an under active thyroid since I was 21 (now 38) and been on thyroxine ever since, increased dosage as the years have gone by. I found it didn't affect my ability to get pregnant. Sorry to hear about your mc. I had 4 before having my little boy 10 months ago.

The vast majority of people with thyroid issues don't have any problems with pregnancy and have healthy babies. And there is a great, great, great chance your miscarriage was just one of those things - they are very common unfortunately. But (I feel awful saying this, but just as a back up) if you do have another miscarriage there are other issues connected to thyroid ones that would be worth exploring. I was diagnosed with natural killer cells that were preventing me from having a successful pregnancy and took other medication under a recurrent miscarriage specialist to have my little boy. But try not to worry, the chances are you will be fine and this was just one of those unfortunately common miscarriages.

Your doctor seems on the ball saying a TSH of under 2 is good. Some of them say under 5. I find I'm at my best when mine is around 1. Oh and not everyone puts on weight or has symptoms. Although not much fun for those of us who do the weight can be kept under control with the usual exercise and diet once a TSH is normal.

Good luck! I'm sure it will all go well this time. Fire away if you have any more questions.

Hi OP
Your GP is on the ball, that's great cos mine (and many others) didn't have a clue. I've been hypothyroid for 3 years and currently 24 weeks pg. When I fell pg I went to GP and they didn't increase my dose as they wanted to refer me to endocrinologist first. I was angry and v worried. I didn't see the endo until I was 16 weeks and as it turns out everything is fine.
Apart from having to see the endo every 4 weeks which involves a 2-hour round trip and £3 parking charge!

Thank you all so much- feeling alot more positive after reading your replies. Are you treated as high risk during the pregnancy? What kind of extra care did you recieve?Im a water birth, minimal fuss sort of girl but Im not even thinking that far ahead at the moment.

Not high risk but consultant-led. I am only seeing the obstetrician twice 18 and 30 weeks as so far my bloods have been fine. She said hypothyroidism does not affect labour at all.

I've only ever seen a midwife when pregnant&thankfully there were no problems. The last 2 were born in a birth center & were water births so i actually dont even know what consultant led care is!

Im going to bombarb my GP with questions...!

I've been hypo since I was 10 - now 34 and 18 weeks pregnant.

I went unstable in January when we were TTC tho they think that was because I'd lost 3.5 stone and so wasn't needing so much thyroxine. Got a v early endo referral as soon as I tested positive and in fact my thyroxine has been reduced all the way through so far! I'm actually hyper at the minute and only out of hospital due to heart palpitations.

Make sure you get tested regularly and seen by your consultant at least every 6-8 weeks. Everyone says the need for thyroxine goes up but that's def not true in every case!

I'm on shared midwife and consultant care and don't expect to be a high risk birth.

Yes I didn't need to increase my dosage in pregnancy either. I've had thyroid problems so long I no longer see the need to see an endo. I just have regular blood tests and adjust my dosage myself if needed! I have my 100/125mcg dose in 25 mg tablets so I can do this and my GP is happy with it. Once you are diagnosed and treated thyroid conditions can be pretty manageable. Although every few years mine does take a swing in an odd direction and need a change in dosage I can usually sense it. Regular tests and you and the baby should be fine.