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Miscarriage/Pregnancy Loss
Thyroid issues and miscarriage
Hi all-
I have recently had two back to back miscarriages. I have no children. First miscarriage was a blighted ovum at 4 weeks, discovered at 11 weeks. That baby would have been born this month. I just suffered miscarriage #2 (at 9 weeks) September 25th. I decided that I wanted to get tested for a bunch of stuff because it just didn't make sense to me why it was happening. I had blood work done and the only thing that has come back so far is that my TSH level is 5.48, outside the normal range. I went to a general practitioner and had a full panel, the results have not come back yet. My midwife and OB have said that the hypothyroid is probably the reason for my miscarriages, but my (GP)doctor says (at this point) that since I don't have symptoms of hypothyroid other than the TSH, he may decide not to treat me for it. Yet, one of the nurse-midwives told me not to conceive without medication bc my baby may be born with autism, small brain etc.....Or, I may miscarry yet again. I'm totally confused and scared. I just feel like I can't miscarry again. At first I was sort of excited (in a weird way) at the diagnosis, bc if I was on thyroid meds my risk of mc goes way down...but if I'm borderline...there is no clear answer.
The question is, do any of you out there have a hypothyroid. How is your doctor treating it and have you ever had a successful pregnancy? Any advice for me? I am basically freaking out.
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Re: Thyroid issues and miscarriage
**Babies mentioned**
Hey there~ I still look in here every so often due to my own loss, but I wanted to tell you there IS hope!! My TSH was 48.9 (!!!!) after my first loss, and after hormone replacement I got pregnant with my son, now 6 months old. (and am currently 13 weeks pregnant!)
If you look at all the studies that have been done on those babies with birth defects due to hypothyroidism, their mothers never got replacement therapy the whole pregnancy. Chances are, if they don't treat you with meds and you find that you're pregnant, you would be put on therapy in a flash. (even with your current level) They should still treat you though, to possibly prevent any more loss for you. **hugs**
I had a blighted ovum at 8.5 weeks found at 8.5 weeks and we had no explanation or reason. I left that doctor, when to another and was finally referred to a fertility specialist who found my thyroid issues. My levels were 4.25 and I was told that they needed to be under 3. I was told that there is a good chance that this is what caused my miscarriage and it would continue to cause issues if I did not take care of it. I did not really realize that I was having any of the symptoms until my doctor started to run through a list of them and and the pieces started to fall into place. My hair was falling out, dry skin, tired, hungry, just to name a few. So it might not be a bad idea to be put on medication not only for pregnancy reasons but also for you own health reasons. I have to make .05mg once a day and I feel a million times better. I will have to be closely monitored and have my medication adjusted when I do get pregnant but that is a small chore for a big reward.
Good Luck!!
I'm sorry for your losses. It is so hard.
I would strongly recommend seeing a regular endocrinologist or a reproductive endocrinologist to get your thyroid under control if your regular OBGYN won't treat it. Or try another OBGYN. You need to advocate for yourself and seek out what is best for you. That is the most important lesson I've learned in 4+ years of battling infertility. Not every dr. is educated on complex issues that complicate pg. You need to find the Dr's that will look at the whole picture and help you try different things to have a baby.
I strongly believe thyroid issues can impact all aspects of pregnancy. I have done a ton of research and been seen by a few different type of specialists and they all said thyroid TSH has to between 1-2 for a successful pg.
And once you get pg, you need to check TSH levels weekly as it can change quickly. With this pg, my TSH was fine one week at 1.5 and the following week had jumped to 2.6.
I am so sorry for your losses. I definitely recommend getting your thyroid within in range before getting pg again. I was told by 2 different drs. (ob and peri) that it is necessary to have TSH levels around 1-2 during pg. I was hypothyroid during my m/c #2 pg. That is the only time I have ever had a problem with it. My TSH was 4.7 I think when the lab's upper normal range was 4.5 if I remember correctly. My ob didn't feel that my thyroid was off enough to have caused my m/c, but definitely said that it could have caused developmental problems in the baby if left untreated. I was put on armourthyroid and it brought my levels back down to 1 or so.
Untreated hypothyroidism can cause m/c if left untreated so I suggest treating it (to a level of 1-2) before you get pg again. As pp have mentioned it is important to continually monitor the levels throughout the pg. During my most recent m/c I was concerned that my thyroid would be off again and had it checked a couple of times, but it was right where it should be. GL!!
Get it checked out. If you have it, you may be able to get on meds and prevent another miscarriage.
I am sorry about your loss. It is so heartbreaking. Love and hugs.
Thanks all-
You guys give great advice. I really need to be my own advocate here. It's difficult right now bc I'm not currently pregnant and since I don't have any "obvious symptoms" unless my other bloodwork comes back all screwy I think my doctor is going to say no to meds. This frustrates me bc the nurse midwife said not to get pregnant without meds, but they won't treat me unless I'm pg. Aaaaargh. Getting pg has been easy for me for far (knock on wood), I just can't keep a pregnancy. (I'm also getting ready to ovulate and REALLY want to try again) I was hoping that this was the key...but I feel like I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place here.
I am going to talk to my regular GP and tell him about the 1-2 TSH level for pregnancy and try to get him to get it. Also found a reproductive endocrinologist in my area and will make an appointment when I get my test results back.
I am so glad to read this post - it comes at just the right time! I am almost 8 weeks post natural miscarriage and I still haven't received AF yet. I called my Dr. and she ordered a blood test to check for a few things including my thyroid. I've had this test done before after not having a period for 3 months last year. I also have a family history of hypothyroidism. I've never connected all of this to our loss. I should get the results tomorrow and thanks to you all I have many more questions to ask.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Sorry for your loss, first of all. It is tough, not your fault, and will take time. I had my first m/c 2 months ago, and staying home today b/c of another one. I still am sad about what happened, and push through everyday.
As for your desire to take care of yourself (which is great!): If you feel that thyroid medication is best, then tell your dr. As a patient you have the right to deny or request treatment. If you dr. says that he will not give you the treatment, you should go to another dr. because your current one is not looking out for what your wants and needs are. Just because you are not having symptoms, does not mean that there is something wrong that needs to be corrected.
Sorry to be so blunt, but I hate dr.'s with big egos who think that their way is the only way. I had a doctor who thought I had STD's (even with a clean history and lab results) and after telling him what I wanted to do and then switching dr.'s did I find out that I had a benign tumor and hormone issues. I asked for surgery and it was done.
You are in charge of what goes in your body and what is best for your body. Be your advocate! If you need help with this, ask all these ladies here. We are all here for you!
Thanks to all of those who gave advice and support. It is so needed an appreciated...and I'm so glad I was able to help a few of you as well.
Update:
I went back to the doctor who of course told me that I don't really need medication and they were just going to monitor me for the rest of my life. Well, I wouldn't take that answer. I had done some research and brought it with me. Finally, he agreed to get me on meds. I've been taking them for about two weeks now and am feeling better. I see the doctor again in another two weeks to monitor my levels and see about getting the go ahead to try again.
On the other hand, got some of my test results back and turns out I'm positive (heterozygous) for the MTHFR gene mutation. Looks like there are links with this to miscarriage as well. Sigh.
So, I don't know if there's light at the end of the tunnel or not. AND...I'm so tired already of arguing with doctors.