Thyroid issues?

sheshae

Hey ladies,
I just received a call from the DR office regarding my labs. They said my thyroid levels were really high at a 14 when they should be around a 4ish. I wasn't aware of anything like this and haven't had blood work done since like 2011 and nothing was wrong then. I have to get more tests done tomorrow. Has this happened to anyone? 

ThePax89

Yes. I take synthroid to help it come down. 

mrszoess

lurking from o16...take synthroid ASAP. 

sheshae

@mrszoess do you think my OB would
prescribe it or just refer me to a specialist??

fauxpa-2

I've been hypothyroid since I was 12, so it didn't just come on with pregnancy, but yeah they'll just start you on synthetic thyroid hormone.  It takes a couple weeks for the hormone to build up in your system so they'll probably just recheck labs ever couple weeks and change your dose until you are back into normal levels.  I've heard it's relatively common for thyroid issues to arise during pregnancy. 

mrszoess

your ob should've called it in when they called with those results. 




tw





i had 2 mc due to thyroid increases. I am passionate about this subject. I've been stabilized and I'm 17w with my rainbow  

sheshae

@mrszoess I just read that untreated thyroid issues could cause a mc which got me all worried. Im
going in the first thing in the morning to get my lab orders and I'm going to talk to someone. My next dr appt is Thursday and idk if this can wait

mrszoess

synthroid takes a couple weeks to kick in, this Thursday isn't going to make much of a diff since tm is Wednesday. 

fx for you, you can always pm me if u need to ask anything. 

JustBored10

Oh my 14 is high.  Please make sure to not only start medication right away because you are pregnant but get other testing done after pregnancy. I would suggest getting a referral to see an endocrinologist so they can do further testing that a obgyn or normal family doctor will not do.

juliehollz13

Yes but you need to see an Endocrinologist ASAP. Do not go off of what your Ob/Gyn says. No, the ideal level for pregnant or TTC women is NOT "4-ish", it has to be under a 2. I'm on levothyroxine and it has been a huge help. Takes a few months to bring them down where they should be and I have no side effects. 

juliehollz13

@mrszoess I had chemical pregnancy(ies) with due to Thyroid issues....while my Ob/Gyn was giving me clomid....so it's a hot button topic for me too lol. It's not Ob's fault, they don't specialize in the topic but they should always refer women to an endocrinologist not try to mess with it themselves. 

mandabee77

Lurking from Nov16

I was already on thyroid meds when I became pregnant this time. My last miscarriage was likely due to my thyroid issues, so I'm being super diligent about it this time. I called my endocrinologist the minute I found out, and she has already upped my dosage twice to get me below 2. Find a good endocrinologist and follow up with them, not just throughout your pregnancy, but afterwards too! It's so important.  

ChastainMT

I have experienced both being hyper and hypo. I currently am being treated for hypothyroid and take synthroid, I also had a miscarriage most  likely do to my thyroid being out of  whack. As soon as I found out I was pregnant this time I requested my tsh to be tested and my dose has already been increased twice. I second what the other women are saying your levels should be at a 2.

littlebirdie28

I have Hashimotos Thyroiditis (a pre-cursor to hypothyroidism) and I have to go to the Endocrinologist once per month for a check in and blood work. If necessary, she will adjust my synthroid dosage as the pregnancy progresses. I was actually told by my doctors not to try and conceive until my thyroid levels got nice and low. It took a few months to find the right dosage for me and it's likely that my dosage will go up while I'm pregnant. It's nothing big to worry about. Taking care of it now will also help prevent miscarriage and preeclampsia.

sheshae

Oh my. This is a lot. I went in to get more blood work done today. We don't have an endocrinologist locally so I have to look into that. My best friend and her mother suffer from the same thing and said I could go their DR because they've been able to level it all out... we shall see. I'll keep you all updated.

fauxpa-2

@sheshaeThere are a lot of scary things that can arise from an under-active thyroid during pregnancy, but the studies show that with treatment and constant monitoring of your levels that the outcomes are that of any other pregnancy.  The big problems come from having uncontrolled levels without knowing.  Basically I'm trying to say just try not to freak out too much, it's a good thing that your doctor found it now and you can get started on meds and just keep it in check.   *hug*


Also I have a question for other hypo pregnant ladies:  Is anyone else struggling with the not eating an hour after taking your pill?  My nausea REAL first thing in the morning, and if another well meaning friend tells me to just eat some crackers first thing I'm going to slap them.  On the occasional lucky mornings I'll wake up a few hours early to pee and I can take my pill then and just go back to sleep.  But I also can't really drink much water with my pill anymore.  If I'm awake after I take it I can usually just sit there for an hour and sip water and force myself to keep everything down until I can eat... it's miserable.  I would love to know what you guys do and if you have any tips.  Thanks!

juliehollz13

Fauxpa said:

@sheshaeThere are a lot of scary things that can arise from an under-active thyroid during pregnancy, but the studies show that with treatment and constant monitoring of your levels that the outcomes are that of any other pregnancy.  The big problems come from having uncontrolled levels without knowing.  Basically I'm trying to say just try not to freak out too much, it's a good thing that your doctor found it now and you can get started on meds and just keep it in check.   *hug*


Also I have a question for other hypo pregnant ladies:  Is anyone else struggling with the not eating an hour after taking your pill?  My nausea REAL first thing in the morning, and if another well meaning friend tells me to just eat some crackers first thing I'm going to slap them.  On the occasional lucky mornings I'll wake up a few hours early to pee and I can take my pill then and just go back to sleep.  But I also can't really drink much water with my pill anymore.  If I'm awake after I take it I can usually just sit there for an hour and sip water and force myself to keep everything down until I can eat... it's miserable.  I would love to know what you guys do and if you have any tips.  Thanks!

@Fauxpa I've taken it with food before and my levels are still ok, just try not to make a habit of it. An alternative is to take it right before bed or 2 hours after dinner. 

sammyl1221

your levels should be  less than or equal to 2 while pregnant. You should speak to an endocrinologist ASAP and get on some kind of medication for this condition. Some people have it prior to getting pregnant, like myself, while others have higher tsh levels due to pregnancy. Either way at 14 you need to be on something to regulate it. It can cause miscarriage, birth defects, preterm labor etc. 

capps42613

I'm Hypothyroid, taking Levothyroxine daily. My OB referred me to a high risk Dr to help better monitor my thyroid and the baby.

littlebirdie28

@Fauxpa I have to get up a million times per night to pee and lately I have been getting up about 90 minutes before my usual 6:30am wake up. I take my Synthroid at that time just in case I feel the need to eat when I get up. That has been helpful. Annoying, but helpful.

littlebirdie28

@sheshae depending on your local primary care physician, he or she might be qualified to keep an eye on your thyroid levels and can prescribe Synthroid. I was randomly in between endocrinologists this year and my PCP was able to take on my thyroid case until I could get in to a new endo.

R0824H

Fauxpa said:

@sheshaeThere are a lot of scary things that can arise from an under-active thyroid during pregnancy, but the studies show that with treatment and constant monitoring of your levels that the outcomes are that of any other pregnancy.  The big problems come from having uncontrolled levels without knowing.  Basically I'm trying to say just try not to freak out too much, it's a good thing that your doctor found it now and you can get started on meds and just keep it in check.   *hug*


Also I have a question for other hypo pregnant ladies:  Is anyone else struggling with the not eating an hour after taking your pill?  My nausea REAL first thing in the morning, and if another well meaning friend tells me to just eat some crackers first thing I'm going to slap them.  On the occasional lucky mornings I'll wake up a few hours early to pee and I can take my pill then and just go back to sleep.  But I also can't really drink much water with my pill anymore.  If I'm awake after I take it I can usually just sit there for an hour and sip water and force myself to keep everything down until I can eat... it's miserable.  I would love to know what you guys do and if you have any tips.  Thanks!

I take mine with food, but i'm consistent with it, my one boss (a Pharmacist) told me its fine to take it with food but be consistent with it, it just means its not as effective as it would be on its own and you may need a higher dose when taking it with food than without food. My levels have been fine so far.

penelope4612

Add me to the club.  My OB is actually managing mine b/c my PCP was totally underwhelmed by my TSH of 8 since my free T4 was normal.  I guess at some point I should probably see an endocrinologist.

sammyl1221

@Fauxpa if I wake up early I'll take it then go back to sleep. But many a times if my nausea is full force I'll take it and eat. As someone said earlier don't make it a habit! 

mrszoess

I'm on 125mcg and I'm at 1.1. fx for all of you 

fauxpa-2

The last couple of nights I've tried taking it when I get up around midnight to pee.  It definitely seems to be helping! Thank you for the tips, ladies!

sheshae

Update: DR prescribed me 50 mg for now and says they'll take my blood in 6-8 weeks to see what my levels are at. 

laytbug1234

I have Hashimoto's too and subclinical hypothyroidism before conception.  My doctors didnt seem to think it was a big deal even though I showed them scientific studies that said otherwise.  They denied my requests to get my TSH lower before we tried to conceive. As soon as I knew I was pregnant, I immediately asked to have my TSH levels tested and thank goodness I did because I developed overt hypothyroidism already by week 5 so they medicated me.  The first blood screening my OBGYN does is going to be at week 12, so if I hadnt asked to be tested, I could have had complications (miscarriage etc.) simply because my doctors fail to keep up with current medical research.  If you even think you might have thyroid issues or if someone in your family does, ASK to get your TSH levels tested!  The risks are much to great to let it go unchecked (miscarriage, preterm labor, low IQ etc.).  Get checked everyone!

fauxpa-2

It is amazing to me how many doctors just blow off thyroid levels.  Your thyroid hormones can affect almost everything in your body.  I want to echo what others are saying, don't feel bad or crazy if your doctor blows off checking your levels.  It's a simple blood test, you just need to keep bugging them until they do it. 

ChrissyluvsPuppies

Hello-

Yes, I'm hypothyroid and ended up needing a higher dosage of synthroid during pregnancy (which I ended up continuing after pregnancy) 

It's not too bad to take- I take a pill an hour before i eat anything. It didn't impact my pregnancy- they just monitored my levels every month by taking a sample of my blood and adjusting, as needed.

I'm pregnant again so I imagine it will be much of the same. 

If you have any questions- let me know!