Update to genetic testing and very upset with my OB
glaw
member
hi ladies - I want to thank all of you for the helpful information regarding genetic testing. I have not yet decided whether we will do genetic testing on my DH and I, but I did get tested for blood clotting issues (I had an SCH and some research says it could be related). Also to the poster who said it was great that my OB does genetic testing on the embryo, that was not correct - she actually did not offer that and said it was not necessary and I accepted it. Now I am wondering if I should have b/c I believe she made other poor decisions regarding my health and pregnancy.
So about 6 days before my m/c, I got a call from the Dr.'s office with the results of my very first blood work. I had low iron and some other vitamin deficiencies - nothing serious/unusual. BUT the nurse also told me I had elevated thyroid antibodies. What the hell is that, right? So I asked and she said that I would need to make an appt with an endocronologist but did not sound super concerned. She gave me the name of the Dr. that the office refers their patients too and said that the bloodwork results would be sent to them. She said that my OB had seen the results too.
Anyway, I called the Endo doctor and he said the first appt he had was 2 weeks out (which was today). I pushed a little to see if there was an earlier appt but they said there was nothing available whatsoever. B/c the OB had not made it seem urgent, I did not call around to find another Endo doctor. (I have a PPO so I have the option to see who I want and would have had I known what happened). Anyway, obviously I miscarried in between the time I learned about the elevated thyroid antibodies and my appt today. I decided to go to the appt anyway to see what if anything was wrong with my thyroid.
So I learned that I have Hashimoto's thyroiditis - lovely. Apparently, my elevated antibodies are attacking my thyroid - I don't have low thyroid hormone yet, but it can eventually lead to that. GUESS WHAT ELSE?? My condition causes an increased incidence of miscarriage!!! The Endo Dr. said that my OB was aware of this - had seen the results, and she has NEVER told me that this could have been the cause of the miscarriage. She had this information for SIX DAYS before my m/c and never told me that it was urgent for me to see an Endo Dr. and I know it doesn't mean that the baby would have survived but at least I could have immediately started on the thyroid medication and maybe that would have been the difference.
I know I am grasping at straws, but I really think it was negligence for the OB not to tell me how serious this was and that I needed to see an endo right away and or get on thyroid medicine. Maybe it would have happened anyway but I would have done ANYTHING to give my pregnancy the best chance. After my SCH I stayed in bed and did nothing - even though that has not been proven to help. I did it anyway so I know I did EVERYTHING I could. Finding out now that I did not do everything I could have b/c I should have been on thyroid medication is very devastating. I feel like what if this could have been prevented?
I am SO thankful though that I kept my appt with the endo Dr. - he said there's a chance that my elevated thyroid antibodies may have been induced by the pregnancy so I am going to go back and have more blood work in 5 weeks. Then if it is still elevated I will immediately start on thyroid meds b/c apparently I should be on the meds for about 6 weeks before I start TTC. So now I have to wait till I get 2 periods/have normal cycles plus be on thyroid meds for 6 weeks. Some of it will hopefully overlap and I'll still be able to start TTC in February. I really hope so - I feel like the best way for me to move forward is to start TTC again.
Ladies - if you have a feeling that something else other than "bad luck" may have caused your m/c - you should follow that feeling. I would not have known that I have this thyroid issue if I just accepted it as bad luck and even though I don't know what the future holds or if that was the reason for my m/c, at least it is one thing I can take care of for future pregnancies and can give myself a better chance at a successful pregnancy. Thanks for listening if you read this far 
Re: Update to genetic testing and very upset with my OB
While I understand your rage - I want to tell you that it is good that you have this information now. I realize that even 1 loss is too many, but I had to go through 3 losses before my doctor even tested my thyroid.
And with all the symptoms of hypothyroidism and moderately elevated TSH levels, my doctor still did not think it was necessary to test for thyroid antibodies. And now we have our fourth freakin loss. And I still have not been tested for thyroid antibodies. (Which I assume will be rectified with my new RE, but if she doesn't suggest it, I will demand it.)
There is a very well known (and scientifically documented) link between thyroid problems and the ability to stay pregnant. I am SO terribly sorry your doctor did not do anything about this for you sooner, but you know this now and it could very well prevent you from going down this path again, and again, and again.
I hope that with this new information that you are able to start on treatment and you get your take home baby very soon.
hi Little may - I was going to PM you but couldn't figure out how to. I am so very sorry for your losses. That is so terrible. Did they not check your thyroid during the first routine blood work during your pregnancy? That is how mine came up in the first place and then my OB wanted me to go to the endocronologist.
can I ask how you know that you have a thyroid issue? Also do you mind if I ask what it is exactly? I don't personally have low thyroid hormone according to the tests but I have elevated antibodies - which apparently can cause increased miscarriage.
can you directly make an appt with an endocronologist to have them check your blood for your thyroid hormone? actually even an internist/general practitioner can do that if you ask them to do that specifically. again i am not sure what kind of insurance you have or if you can pay out of pocket but this is very troubling that you have had repeated losses and no one is doing anything about it. it is SO frustrating. i feel like the OB's think "oh well she can just get pg again," but it is about SO much more than that. they don't think about the emotional toll that it takes on us.
can we stay in touch and both see what our Drs have to say about this whole thyroid issue? you can PM me - maybe you know how to do it b/c i couldn't figure it out. I couldn't find anyone else going through this so it would be nice to stay updated on e/o's progress. thanks for sharing your story and i hope when we both get this issue fixed we'll be able to get and stay pg and have a healthy happy baby after 9+ months
With my first pregnancy (that ended with my son), my thyroid was checked and it was totally normal. With subsequent pregnancies I didn't get far enough along for the standard bloodwork which my doctors don't do until 12 weeks.
My TSH level as checked in July post-chemical pregnancy was 3.04. The problem with thyroid levels is that the medical community can not even agree on what the range of "normal" is. Many doctors (including mine) say that anything up to 4.5 or even 5.5 can be normal. But more and more doctors (specifically endocrinologists) are saying that anything over 3.0 is indicative of hypothyroidism. More interestingly, reproductive endocrinologists seem to believe that the ideal levels for TTC are between 1 and 2 . . . AND that anything over 2.5 is associated with a significant increase in the rate of miscarriage. And that is just the complications for elevated TSH levels in antibody negative women. If you test positive for thyroid antibodies, that complicates everything even more.
Even with my TSH levels elevated to a point associated with increased miscarriage, I don't *know* for a fact that I have a full blown thyroid problem because 3.04 is such a borderline number and I still don't know if I have thyroid antibodies or not. But since I've had my son I can say that I have virtually every single symptom of hypothyroidism and also have a serious family history of hypothyroidism. (My grandmother had a thyroidectomy and 3 of her 4 children are on thyroid medication.)
But I think what is the most frustrating thing to me about ALL of this is that thyroid problems are so.easily.controlled with medication. It's not a complicated fix by any stretch of the imagination and with medication, women with thyroid problems can have very healthy pregnancies.
At this point, because of my multiple losses, my insurance will cover a lot of RPL testing, which includes testing for both thyroid levels and thyroid antibodies. And my RE is supposed to be very knowledgeable about RPL, so I have to believe this will be one of the first tests I have done. Our first consult is on Thursday.
Here is a pretty simplistic article about what it means to have thyroid antibodies but normal TSH. https://thyroid.about.com/cs/basics_starthere/a/antibody.htm There is a ton more information out there that is a lot more scientific, but that's a good starting point. I'd be willing to bet my entire next pay check that I am going to test positive for thyroid antibodies, but I will definitely keep you posted and would love to hear what comes of your follow ups as well.
The PM system here is pretty stinky - you don't get notified when people PM you, so you have to page them on the main board. But please email me at littlemaybaby @ gmail . com and we can definitely stay in touch that way.