Underactive thyroid and pregnancy

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Hi I was just wondering if anyone is in or have experienced the same situation as me. I am in early pregnancy 7 weeks with baby no 3, however after baby no 2 who has just turned 1 on Sunday I was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid and have been on levothyroxine 100mg since October. I have read that you need regular blood tests and to increase your dosage if pregnant. I spoken to my doctor who had booked me in for bloods in 3 weeks with getting results back in 7 to 10 days ( slower than usual do to covid atm) by this time I will be 11/12 weeks i have read that not having the correct dosage can harm baby. I am worries that bot being in the correct dosage until nearly the end of my trimesters could cause problems. Has anyone had pregnancy being in these tablets and been ok?am new to these so never experienced this before. Thank u

Hi, I have congenital hypothyroidism so have been taken levothyroxine since I was tiny. I normally have my bloods checked every 6 months & take 150mg daily. When I was pregnant I hade my bloods checked monthly and ended up on 200mg daily until DD was born.

Forgot to add I had no health issues during my pregnancy & DD was absolutely perfect except a tad jaundice. Small 6.2lbs but perfect

Hi. You need to see an antenatal endocrinologist. The referral can be done at your booking appointment or by your gp if your booking appointment is weeks away. Dont want to scare you but I had a loss at 12 weeks because of undiagnosed thyroid issues. This time round I am on levothyroxine and have an appointment and blood test every 4 weeks. The endocrinologist adjusts my dosage depending on the results at each point. Good luck!

I would ring the GP back and ask for a test sooner. Mine are doing emergency quick ones for people that need it.... Worth seeing if yours are too.
I've just had a blood test today as I'm 5 weeks pregnant. I had two miscarriages last year unfortunately ( not necessarily thyroid related- they don't know) so they got me tested early this time.
With my last pregnancy they tested around 7 weeks and I then had another 4 tests I think throughout the pregnancy.

Also they test your thyroid at the booking appointment which is usually around 11/12 weeks, as well so seems odd to get you to have two tests so near to each other

Sorry I should also add, that I had to increase my dosage a few times throughout the pregnancy, and I had a perfectly healthy baby. About 6 weeks after that I had another blood test and they reduced the thyroxine back down

The recommendation in Ireland is to increase your dosage prior to getting bloods & seeing endocrinologist. GP would do this.

I wouldn't worry about the wait for bloods. You are already on Eltroxin & so baby will be fine. You may have some additional symptoms but once bloods are back, dosage can be adjusted.

I'd talk again to your antenatal team / GP. Don't worry about any risk to baby tho. You'll be fine.

Hi, it's 10+ years since I had my youngest with underactive thyroid (all fine) so my info might be outdated, but just wanted to put in a positive point that you get extra scans when you are hypo, so it's a nice added thing to counterbalance the worry. Good luck

Yes, after a few years on Carbimozole I had successful radioactive iodine treatment before my pregnancies. About halfway through my pregnancy with DS2, I was diagnosed with an under active thyroid and started taking thyroxine. I'm still on the same dose 15 years later. They'll monitor you.

Yes, I had been told to increase my medication by 25% in early pregnancy. I went privately to endo-obstetrician. My GP did not know anything about it and only prescribed extra dose once I have presented the letter from the doctor. I had difficulty with keeping pregnancy. They said they never heard about it. I also presented the guidelines https://www.royalberkshire.nhs.uk/Downloads/GPs/GP%20protocols%20and%20guidelines/Maternity%20Guidelines%20and%20Policies/Medical%20conditions%20and%20complications/Hypothyroidism%20Thyroid%20diseaseV6.00GL945JUN18.pdf

www.nnuh.nhs.uk/publication/download/thyroid-disease-in-pregnancy-ao38v3-2/

From the guidelines above: If already on Levothyroxine, increase dose by 30 % when pregnancy confirmed.

I had my last pregnancy 2 years ago and the specialist told me that if I try and conceive again then my dosage should be increased before pregnancy, I’ve had 2 healthy pregnancies, I can’t remember my 1st pregnancy but I think I saw the specialist about 4 times this time around.

... I went from 150 to 175.

Thank u all so much for your comments.. all positive which is amazing.. do u think I go ahead am just up my dosage myself by 50g (1 tablet) or wait for the bloods? I tried to get in sooner but thats the earliest they have just feel its weeks ago to wait still. I havnt received my booking app yet but will tell the midwife then an hopefully she will offer advise.
Username54789129671 so sorry for your 2 loses last year but a massive congratulations on your amazing new. Wishing u well.
0Vthirtyon- I like the sound of the extra scans.. is this just to monitor growth then?
I have been waiting to go and see a endo-obstetrician however still waiting for my appointment letter. Am not sure what caused my thyroid issue it just happend after my 2nd pregnancy last year.
Am worried cos I've read on Google old Google not increasing the dosage can lead to stillborn, miscarriage and problems with baby. Everyone who has been on it here seems to have all had healthy babies so thank u for all ur comments xx

Don't just increase your dosage without discussing with your GP. You can't self-medicate. However, a quick phone call with your GP should sort it out.

Don't worry re risks - and don't Google. It is an issue if you aren't on Eltroxin at all, but as you are, the change in dosage is essentially for you're benefit. It takes a while for levels to fluctuate - either direction - so you'll be fine.

Good luck!

Thank you :) you put my mind at ease now and good to know am not alone n its actually quite a common thing xx

I was lucky that I had gone to the gp with DH to discuss whether we'd have a good chance to conceive or not, she upped my meds there and then in anticipation. Good thing she did as I was pregnant a month later. So my dose went from 100mg to 125mg and my consultant said this was good practice. Hopefully your gp will up yours asap, try not to worry though as there isn't a huge amount of difference in 100 vs 125 for example so I'm lead to believe

Hi op, I take 50mg of levothyroxine. I didn't have my first bloody test until 12 weeks and TSH was under 2.5 so they were happy to keep my medication as it is. My midwife will then retest me every 8 weeks or thereabouts to coincide with my antenatal appointments.
I haven't needed to see anyone other than a midwife in this pregnancy regarding my thyroid, but was seen by a consultant in my first pregnancy then signed off once started on medication.
To be honest, I'm quite surprised they don't want to lower my TSH so it's nearer to 1 as my son was 4th centile for weight. I'm seeing a consultant as they're predicting another small baby. I've read there's a link between underactive thyroids and small babies so I would have thought they'd be controlling it better.

Hi All,

This post has been super helpful at putting my mind at ease. I had 2 missed miscarriages and I am pretty confident it is due to my Thyroid. I could be wrong but I have a strong feeling. I’m pregnant now (5 weeks and 3 days from the 1st day of last period) and just increased my Levothyroxine dose to 100 mcg from 75 mcg. GP said that my level shot up to 5.7 and 6 months back it was 1.7! I’m really concerned. Can TSH rise so much during the first few weeks of pregnancy? Also did any of you speak to an Endocrinologist? I’ve been googling and only reading about how if my Thyroid levels are not stable I have a high risk of miscarriage and impact on my baby’s health. Is 5 weeks and 3 days too late to change the Thyroid dose? Thank you.