PP Thyroid Enlargement

WoodShopGirl

I don't think anyone has posted about this.

I just came back from my 6 week check and all look good except my OB said my thyroid is enlarged. She said this is fairly common during pregnancy due to hormones but that it should have subsided by now. She ordered a thyroid ultrasound but no labs, which seems weird to me.

She didn't seem overly concerned but said it was best to just check it out.

Anyone else experience this?

myfriendscallmemeg

Mm... Not personally. But my sister's thyroid was wonky after her first baby. I think she got diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and is on a daily pill for it now. Nothing too life altering. Sorry I can't remember the details of what she had to have done...it's coming up on 5 years ago.

sopranoali

How did they diagnose this?

WoodShopGirl

sopranoali said:

How did they diagnose this?

She felt my neck with her hands. It was part of my exam today.

oceanangel0502

It's a little weird they didn't want to check your thyroid hormone levels

jrw526

I'd definitely have them test your levels.

I have hypothyroidism which prior to this pregnancy was in the low but still normal range so I didn't need meds. During this pregnancy my levels were thrown way off and I had to be on a synthyroid. I go back to my endocrinologist on Tuesday and I won't be surprised if my levels are still off since my hormones are definitely out of whack right now.

If your levels are off ask to be referred to an endocrinologist.

MA&CB

I don't want to alarm you, but I do think it's important to share with women, but mine was enlarged and I ended up having thyroid cancer.  My MW noticed it was enlarged at my PP and referred me to my PCP to get labwork done.  My labs were normal, so the PCP said to just keep an eye on it and come back if it was getting bigger or bothering me.  I ended up going in several months later for something else and mentioning that it still seemed enlarged, so she sent me for an u/s.  The u/s showed a growth on the right side, so then I was referred for a needle biopsy which was negative.  PCP said it was a benign cyst and gave me the option of going to an ENT.  I almost did not go because I thought it was benign and it wasn't bothering me, but ended up going to see the ENT.  He recommended removing the right side of my thyroid because of the size of the cyst and because he said those biopsies were not always reliable.  I had the right side of my thyroid removed, and found out at my post-op that it was actually a cancerous tumor.  I went in two weeks later and had the other half removed and followed up with radioactive iodine tumor.

Again, it is unlikely it is any of that for you, but I just think it's important to share because I could have missed it completely, and want women to be aware if it starts going in that direction.  It took a year between when my MW noticed the enlargement and finding out it was cancerous, and I could have almost missed it after finding out it was 'benign'.

WoodShopGirl

Thanks for the input ladies. I think I am going to call my OB on monday and request that she also run my levels since she seemed like she may have skipped that.