High TSH/Hypothyroidism Discovered

Megano24

I'm in my 12th week so I'm not sure if this is more appropriate to post on the 2nd trimester board or what since I've read you're not really out of the 1st until 13 weeks....Anywho, at my last appointment which was January 12, my midwife told me my TSH level from my previous blood draw was slightly elevated at 2.8.  She said they would draw it again that day and if it doesn't go down or it increases, they will start me on a thyroid medication.  I also got a sonogram at this appointment and baby was measuring ahead and we saw the heartbeat so everything seemed fine.  I got the call yesterday that my TSH level rose from 2.8 to 3.6 in four days. I started taking 25 mcg of levothyroxine this morning and will be seeing and endocrinologist now.  Has anyone experienced this?  Is it common?  Is it very serious?  I wasn't sure if this belonged on the high risk board either because this very well may be a common thing I shouldn't worry too much about.  I hope this isn't considered high risk....

uclameghan

I have hypothyroidism and have for a few years. I was told it's very common to need more support for the thyroid hormones in pregnancy and they would monitor my levels via blood draws frequently when I got a +. I don't think this is something to panic about - my understanding is that it's quite common.

Lalala2326

You are definitely not high risk. Your elevated TSH is a little high for pregnancy, but most doctors wouldn't treat you at all if you weren't pregnant unless you were having other symptoms for hypothyroidism as the technical normal limit is 5. Generally they don't see too many risks for the baby unless you at looking at TSH numbers of around 4-5 or higher. Its good they were monitoring, and they caught it. The thyroid meds should take care of it, and you will likely have regular blood draws throughout your pregnancy with a possible dosage increase later on.

I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and found a nodule in my thyroid before I got pregnant the first time. I was good on 25 mcg throughout my entire pregnancy with DD, but then I swung crazy hyperthyroid about 3 months PP (got down to 0.07 off meds), then swung hypothyroid within the 30 days between testing (5.8) and went back on meds. Starting out this pregnancy I'm on 75 mcg and get checked about every 8 weeks to make sure my level is staying down. Ideally they will get it down between 0.5 and 1.5, but getting it below 2.5 is generally considered sufficient (I was between 1.5 and 2.5 my entire pregnancy with DD with no issues).

Like I said, its good they caught it. Its really not that big a deal as long as you are taking your meds. Just make sure you are taking them on an empty stomach 30 min to an hour before breakfast in the morning. If you are having nausea issues when waking in the morning, my doctor said it is okay to take it during a MOTN wake-up to pee. This is what I usually do when pregnant. I keep it next to my bed and take it whenever I wake up to pee and then when I actually wake up for the day I can eat right away. Do NOT take it with your prenatal. I've always taken my prenatal at bedtime because of this. The vitamins can affect the absorption of the thyroid hormone. Also make sure they continue to check your levels postpartum cause swings are common (like I had) and can cause anxiety and depression issues if not treated.

Megano24

Thank you so much for your replies. Definitely put my mind at ease a bit. Though I am still wondering about how quickly the med kicks in. I've heard it could take up to 4 weeks. My TSH increased from 2.8 to 3.6 within a mere 4 days and apparently the med doesn't take effect until a few weeks from now...that's most of my worry/confusion at the moment. What's to stop the level from continuing to rise these next few weeks before the med kicks in?

Megano24

And Lalal2326, thank you for informing me that I shouldn't take it with my prenatal. I probably would've continued doing so had you not said that.

Lalala2326

Try not to worry too much about it. It can take a little while to level out, but the hormones do start kicking in sooner than 4 weeks, it just can take that long to get levels down to where they need to be. Your TSH should still be slowly decreasing though over that time with the help of the meds. Its just a slow build up kind of thing which is actually reassuring if you ever forget to take one (I've accidentally forgotten to get refills before and didn't realize till I was getting ready for bed). That is also why its not such a big deal to take it a a little earlier MOTN when you wake up to pee. Like I said, your levels really aren't that high at this point (just higher than ideal), and I know the 4 day increase seems like a lot, but it could be due to a lot of things. Your baby will be just fine. Its generally when your levels are high for long periods of time that it can start to affect growth or lead to pre-term labor. It sounds like your doctors are doing exactly what they should be.