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Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Under active thyroid diagnosed in pregnancy

13 replies

Emilyjane11 · 28/01/2015 17:13

Hi ladies,

Had my 16 week appointment today with midwife and they told me that the bloods I had done at 5 weeks pregnant, baring in mind I am now 17 showed I had an under active thyroid. Despite me calling for my results a week after they were done and being told they were fine.

Anyway, they have put on me on thyroxin and I have to have my thyroid levels checked again in 4-6 weeks apart from that no one really told me what else would happen? Will I be monitored more? Has anyone else been diagnosed in pregnancy and can tell me a bit more?

I have stupidly googled and found if not detected early can cause poor mobility and low iq in babies.

Thanks x

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naty1 · 28/01/2015 19:06

It may depend on your chosen hospital whether you are consultant led. Im not but other hospital would be.
Though im not impressed with gp treating it. Mw gave me results before xmas showing i have gone hyper and i spent weeks chasing gp about it finally they said the level was fine but booked telephone apt for early jan. Where that gp agreed i was hyper and reduced my dose.
What was the tsh level? Just wondering as even though outside range say 5 would be left possible, even up to 10 in non pg person.
My gp wasnt passed the blood test results from mw as its at another gp surgery (bit crap service)
It really wont take full effect from the dose for weeks which is why the wait for retest.

Emilyjane11 · 28/01/2015 19:56

Hmmm I dont know what the tsh level was. I dont even know what that is.

I am classed as high risk anyway for another reason so I guess ill have more scans anyway.

Thanks for your response.

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DillyDallyDaydreamer · 28/01/2015 20:00

Hi I have overactive. Which meant I was consultant led but baby ended up being breech which trumped thoiroid ! Baby is fine my advice don't goiglemail and speak to consultant at next appointment .

Emilyjane11 · 28/01/2015 20:49

Thank you I will do xxxx

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twomoreminutes · 29/01/2015 00:28

Hi, bedtime for me but will be back tomorrow with some info (am hypothyroid and pregnant with DC3). What dose of thyroxine have you been given?

Emilyjane11 · 29/01/2015 17:44

I have been given 50 micro grams. I am waiting for a call off my doctor who said he was fast tracking the bloods taken yesterday to see if the dosage needs to be increased x

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twomoreminutes · 29/01/2015 19:31

So you will have your blood test done again in 4 weeks as it takes a while for thyroxine to take effect, to see if dose needs to be changed. The policy here during pregnancy is to test 4 weeks after a change in dose then every 6/8 weeks after that, once your levels are stable (ie your dose is adequate), throughout pregnancy. it helps to coordinate your thyroid blood tests with your antenatal blood tests if you can, as they can at least do it all at the same time then and means fewer needles for you!

Do you think you might have had some symptoms of hypothyroidism before the blood test picked it up?

Here it is usual to have consultant-led care if you have thyroid disorder, although hospital have agreed to me being looked after by GP as all they do is monitor blood tests, which my GP does anyway. I wouldnt get any extra scans though.

btw, TSH is a hormone which basically gets released to send a message to your body telling it to produce more thyroid hormone, so generally speaking a high TSH level means that your body needs more thyroid hormone than it currently has in the bloodstream (there are additional things they look at too, eg T3, T4). There are guidelines on what the TSH should be at each stage of pregnancy, which your GP or consultant should monitor and adjust dose accordingly.

FYI I was actually diagnosed after I had DC1, although I had probably been borderline hypo for ages as it rubs in the family. You can get s condition called postpartum thyroiditis, which means your thyroid hormone levels can change quite a bit and you can often be hyperthyroid a few months after birth, then swing the other way to hypothyroidism.

Obv don't know if you will continue to need thyroxine replacement after pregnancy but if you do, (a) all your prescriptions will be free and (b) if you get pregnant again see your GP asap, as you need to increase your thyroxine dose by about 30% straightaway as you need more of it..

Um, hope that helps but feel free to PM me if you have any questions :)

Emilyjane11 · 29/01/2015 20:10

Thank you got your reply.

I have had a lot of symptoms for a number of years. Its strange its only just been picked up. I am having my bloods tested again in 4 weeks like you said. I Shall see how I go. Thanks a lot xx

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twomoreminutes · 29/01/2015 20:16

Your need for thyroxine increases during first trimester so maybe your levels were previously borderline and being pregnant has tipped you over the edge, as it were! Hope you're feeling ok and being taken good care of.

Emilyjane11 · 29/01/2015 20:43

Thank you. Just feel drained and faint a lot of the time. Just keep podding on with work as I have had quite a few days here and there and feel guilty. But we shall see how I get on x

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Christelle2207 · 05/02/2015 20:21

Try not to worry i was diagnosed just before getting pg. I had shared consultant/mw care but was allowed to give birth in the mw led unit. Your TSH has to be monitored every few weeks but will take a while for medication to take effect. It may need to be increased but I'm not aware of anyone who's had issues with levothyroxin. Other than that you should be treated normally-I didn't get any extra scans.

Christelle2207 · 05/02/2015 20:25

Btw I have been taking thyroxin since and now pg with #2 and because my tsh levels are now well within normal levels (thanks to medication) so although I've had to see a consultant again this time it hasn't really been a concern at all.

HazleNutt · 05/02/2015 20:30

The MW unit is a disgrace, you must have been terribly tired, being both pregnant and underactive. Once your levels are adjusted though, there shouldn't be any extra risks - I have been on thyroxine for both previous and this pregnancy and all I had extra was the regular blood tests.

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