advice very welcome. newly diagnosed thyroid issue and getting more aggressive with TTC?

nrose778899 · November 2014

Hello All-
Thank you for any advice you may have for me.
Recently diagnosed with Hashimotos- my thryoid levels weren't that off but I was definitely having symptoms of hypothyroid and having problems conceiving that have no other explanation right now (I've gone through all other standard RE tests- all came back normal). Doctor thought it best to put me on synthroid to get me in optimal TTC range.
No one seems to have a clear idea of HOW thyroid issues affect TTC from what I see. For some women, even being slightly out of range makes conceiving impossible, and others seem to conceive fine with untreated thryoid issues.
I am 35. Been trying many, many months, never had a BFP. Even had several IUI- but natural cycles. Just started synthrod recently. I am trying to make a plan for myself because it's how I handle this challenge best. What are your thoughts on if I should wait and try naturally for a while now that my thyroid issues has been identified or if I should jump right to clomid? Of course, I wouldn't jump to clomid, more IUIs until my thyroid levels were confirmed more optimal for TTC. I wasted enough time TTC with this untreated thyroid issue.
Basically now that this thyroid issue has been identified, do I go natural for 6 months to see or should I just go straight to clomid when my levels are better.
Thank you so much- truly- for any input!!

SND1231 · November 2014

Welcome... I am not sure what my advice to you would be. It seems like I would talk to your doctor and then your SO and come up with a game plan. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.

BunnyBerry · November 2014

Welcome! Glad your thyroid has been diagnosed so you can start treatment. Hopefully that is all the difference you need!

I would talk to your RE about next steps. My take is that it depends on how aggressive you'd like to be. Since you are AMA, I would go ahead and use IUI and probably Clomid or Femara once the thyroid is under control. So far on 3T, in this kind of situation I've often seen women's RE's suggest that they try for up to 3 months on their own once something has been fixed and then move on to the next step if it doesn't work. I wouldn't be comfortable with an RE who recommended 6 months on your own.

BethKate2 · November 2014

firstarabesque said:

I agree that it's something you should discuss with your RE and your partner based on the results of other tests. You should also understand the side effects (including increased chance of multiples) with Clomid and make an informed decision with your doctor. Also a thyroid medication takes at least 90 days to take effect. Maybe this will be enough to stabilize things for you. Good luck.

I agree, OP, that you need to talk to your doctor and partner to decide what's best for you.

To the bolded, @firstarabesque, it doesn't necessarily take 90 days to see results of thyroid meds. When I started mine, my TSH dropped from 8 to 6 after 30 days and down to 4 after 60 days. It's recommended that you have your levels checked every 4-6 weeks after starting meds/changing your dosage because that's how long it can take to see results.

BethKate2 · November 2014

Bump burp

lebradford · November 2014

I had a similar situation. My prolactin was out of whack, causing me to be completely anovulatory. Even though we were going to treat the prolactin, which had a chance of restoring my fertility, I decided to move ahead with Clomid anyway. I'm glad I did because we've been fairly aggressively pursuing treatment since then and it's been 9 months and I'm still not pregnant. For me, anyway, trying naturally would have just added even more months to my timeline. On the flip side, I can see why you might want to try on your own too. Good luck deciding.

nrose778899 · November 2014

Thank you all so much.

My RE has consistently been encouraging me to try clomid. I like him...but I'm pretty sure he's going to do that again. I am so relieved I didn't listen to him before because without this thyroid issue getting under control, I don't think I would have had any success earlier. (That's another really annoying thing about all I have been through- that they didn't identify my pretty obvious thyroid issue earlier and he's supposed to be one of the best out there, go figure...anyway....)

I'll talk to him though and see what he advises. You all gave me a lot to think about. Yeah, I will be getting my levels checked every 6 weeks so pretty soon I'll know how I've responded to the medication.

I think what I may do is wait until the new year to go with clomid. My next two cycles are going to be interrupted by holidays anyway and I'll still be stabilizing on synthroid.

Anyway, thanks so much again. Good luck to everyone. I am so grateful for the wealth of information that is this board.

deelopi9 · November 2014

Welcome to the board! I too have been recently diagnosed with Hashimoto's, although, been on medication for the last 8 years for hypothyroidism. It can be overwhelming and frustrating since you feel you've wasted time TTC without knowing what is the underlying issues. The good thing is they caught it before you got pregnant. Monitor your symptoms after taking the Synthroid, they may need to adjust your levels depending on how you react to the meds.

Also, what levels did your antibodies come in at? The antibodies are caused by different factors, either Leaky Gut Syndrome which is an inflammation in your stomach and it leaks into your blood stream. My doctor encouraged me to stay away from gluten foods and incorporate more natural/organic vegetables into my diet. Avoid coffee and drink green tea. Different factors trigger the antibodies to attack your thyroid tissue. The best option would be to discuss with your RE where would they like to see your numbers at after you've been on the medication. Good luck!

nrose778899 · November 2014

Thanks for the insight @delopi9. I am really finding I have to be my own damn doctor. It's quite annoying. I just this week ordered the full blood test results and the receptionists treated me like crap. Then I also requested that they retest me for antibodies when they check my levels. They really seem to want to cheap out on that like the antibodies don't matter?
My initial test about 3 weeks ago showed a level of antibodies of 900. I'm assuming that's super high. What were yours?
I'm trying selenium and vitamins right now and eating my regular healthy most of the time except for when I eat a whole bag of trader joes chocolate covered pretzels

After I see the results of the next blood test, I plan to cut out gluten and see if that brings down the antibodies.
Have you had any luck bringing down your antibodies by cutting down on gluten?
Thanks so much for any info. Obviously I am new to this. I used to trust doctors. Not the case anymore. I am so annoyed that even world famous REs don't take thyroid issues more seriously.....

nrose778899 · November 2014

Also, I just took a look at your history. Do you feel like they missed you Hashis for quite some time? Geez. It's so common, how do they overlook it? I'm fairly positive I've had hashis for at least 12 years now and no one has ever caught on....and I am someone who does seek medical care, has regular physicals, etc. WTH.

deelopi9 · November 2014

@nrose778899 same here, mind you I have to go in every 6 months to get lab work in order to get the Synthroid medication. You would like somewhere in the last 4 years someone would have caught on, not the damn chiropractor. It's so frustrating. Mine antibodies were high 500, there are two types they look at. I'll let you know the specific names. I just found out in October, so I won't get a retest until sometime in December. In the meantime, just choosing gluten-free/vegan recipes, but once a week I cheat for pizza or good steak, although, Trade Joe's Chocolate covered pretzels sounds pretty good too. (yum)

nrose778899 · November 2014

ohhh pizza is one of the love of my lives

I also love coffee but did cut that out a while ago (except for some cheats CD1-4) and I have noticed cutting out coffee has really made me feel better and less anxious.
500 for antibodies really doesn't sound that bad. For me- my TSH is quite in range- functioning fairly normally- but 900+ antibodies (TPOAb)- that can't be good.
I am waiting on the next round of tests in early December. Then I will probably go vegan/gluten free and see if that decreases the antibodies. At least we can get a valid measure of how our diet choices do impact the condition, right? I'm kind of interested to see if it will have an impact.

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advice very welcome. newly diagnosed thyroid issue and getting more aggressive with TTC?

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