Hypothyroid

neludelu · October 2016

does anyone here have issues with their thyroid or hashimotos disease? I was diagnosed about 6 weeks ago and I'm now about 5wks 3 days preg. I'm worried because I'm still adjusting to the medicine. Not sure what I'm looking for here, 8 guess just want to know other people's experiences.

Knottie42089123 · October 2016

I do. I'm hypo/hashimotos. Check out the blog hypothyroid mom. She also wrote a book on thyroid disease and pregnancy. You need to make sure they're checking your thyroid levels and antibodies at each prenatal appt. lifestyle is also a big factor. I was diagnosed 4 years ago.

michaela0704 · October 2016

I have Hashimoto's and was diagnosed 5 years ago, about 6 months before I was pregnant with my twins... when I was first diagnosed I was hyperthyroid then I would swing back and forth between hypothyroid and hyperthyroid before settling in as hypothyroid for the past 3 years.

The key is to pay attention to how you feel, which will be tough when pregnant, but usually thyroid medication adjustments are made if you aren't feeling well...

Make sure your endocrinologist is a part of your 'team' and don't rely on just your CNM, OB, or Perinatalogist.... you need someone watching out for YOU and your little one. My PCP and Endocrinologist want me to have labs taken and watch over me closely this pregnancy because it wasn't done appropriately last time...

Feel free to reach out to me with any questions.

Edit: didn't make sense... miss my coffee

neludelu · October 2016

Thank you ladies for the information.

Knottie42089123 · October 2016

No problem!

neludelu · October 2016

So I read that blog. Scary stuff. Ugh I'm so stressed because everything says you should be fine if you had control over your thyroid before you got pregnant. I found out I was pregnant 2 weeks after I started medicine. So I've been on mess for 3 weeks and I'm 5wks preg. I'm so worried. I'm pretty active and eat decently 80% of the time. What type of lifestyle changes did you ladies make?

Knottie42089123 · October 2016

Sorry! I didn't mean to alarm you! I think you'll be fine. If you are hashis it's very important to avoid gluten and toxins. I worked with Magdalena at thyroiddietcoach.com 1:1 and she has lot of free info on her site. Just be vigilant and advocate for yourself if your doctor doesn't pay as much attention to your thyroid health as you would like.

lifeislove87 · October 2016

neludelu said:

So I read that blog. Scary stuff. Ugh I'm so stressed because everything says you should be fine if you had control over your thyroid before you got pregnant. I found out I was pregnant 2 weeks after I started medicine. So I've been on mess for 3 weeks and I'm 5wks preg. I'm so worried. I'm pretty active and eat decently 80% of the time. What type of lifestyle changes did you ladies make?

It's more important that you continue to follow up with your doctor to get those levels under 2.5. Your baby actually doesn't receive thyroid hormone from you until close to 11-12 weeks. Although lifestyle changes will help you physically feel better it's most important to take your medication every day (if you forget easily set an alarm)!! Feel free to ask any questions !

michaela0704 · October 2016

Don't panic! Just make sure they check your TSH but also your T3 and T4 levels... TSH by itself isn't very meaningful, especially when taking synthetic T4 and/or T3.

Also, many lab ranges for TSH are 0.5 - 5 which is so outdated... you want to shoot for 1 - 3 and most people feel best between 1 - 2.

Advocate for yourself, checking it once every few months based on being recently diagnosed is not enough... respectfully challenge them to check you more often if they don't recommend or plan to do it on their own. This is also why I suggest you make your Endocrinologist a member of your 'team' as an OB will probably only look at TSH and not the other components...

TobbynS · October 2016

The more you read about it, the more stressful it is. Just make sure you have an endocrinologist you like, trust, is easy to get a hold of, and communicates well with your OB/Midwife. Make sure they are running full panels every visit or at least every trimester. Eat healthy, get exercise, and get lots of sleep (seriously, I didn't realize how much you really need when you're pregnant and have crazy thyroid).
Not to scare you more, but also watch for postpartum thyroiditis. I didn't get it with my first, but did with my second. It's tricky because it hits about 6 months postpartum when you've already been "cleared" by your OB.

abmommy15 · October 2016

I was diagnosed hypo during my first pregnancy which came as no surprise because all the women on my moms side are hypo. You will get additional blood tests throughout your pregnancy to keep an eye on your TSH. My levels stayed stable throughout my pregnancy and my dosage was never adjusted. When DS was born the doctors stopped my medication for a few months to see if it was only in pregnancy but turns out I'm hypo for life. It didn't cause any issues during pregnancy but I had to go for blood work every 6 weeks.

ccc123456 · October 2016

I can't advocate enough for finding an Endocrinologist you like and trust. Mine is a jerk who didn't explain anything to me when I was diagnosed with hashimoto's almost 3 years ago. I recently switched and had an hour long convo with my new doctor where she explained a ton of things to me, most importantly---that you absolutely HAVE to take your Synthroid (or levo) on an empty stomach an hour before you eat or drink anything. I thought it was just a general recommendation, but after doing that for the last 3 months, it has completely changed how I feel throughout the day. That's apparently the main component in stabilizing your levels, which will contribute to a successful pregnancy. Try not to read too much on the internet, and don't get overwhelmed. It's fairly easy to maintain as long as your levels are closely monitored and you're taking your medicine regularly.

glitterfish-2 · October 2016

@neludelu I'm in the same boat! Just started a teeny tiny dose of levothyroxine 4 days before I conceived! Today I'm 4wk+2. Like the poster above, I ended up with a very perfunctory endo, so I'm in the process of switching and have an appointment with the new one on Friday but the old is being super slow about giving me my records! GRRRR

michaela0704 · October 2016

I previously posted but just remembered... if you were hypo pre-pregnancy that you might not need as much meds as hcg can stimulate the thyroid causing you to be hyperthyroid.

This is my current situation and apparently my OB says that it can make morning sickness worse! FML!!

Edit: I can't use slashes on mobile... apparently it deletes everything afterward now

neludelu · October 2016

So a much more vain question follows up with the ladies who went from hypo to hyper. Did it help with preg weight gain? I gained SOOOOO MUUUUCCCCHHHH last time.

Xath · October 2016

Knottie42089123 said:

Sorry! I didn't mean to alarm you! I think you'll be fine. If you are hashis it's very important to avoid gluten and toxins. I worked with Magdalena at thyroiddietcoach.com 1:1 and she has lot of free info on her site.

What? I've had hashis for 3+ years and I've never been told by a medical professional that there are any dietary tie-ins. I'm highly skeptical of any resource that uses "toxins" as part of their verbiage and that you have to sign up for some sort of kit. I've had too many relatives sucked into dietary lifestyle changes to "cure" something that needed to be managed by a medical professional. Hashi's hypo is super simple to manage: your thyroid doesn't produce enough hormones. You take levothyroxine, which is a synthetically produced version of that hormone to level out. Typically you'd only have your levels checked every 6 months to a year unless your symptoms change. During pregnancy they check at least once a month as all of your hormones fluctuate.

Talk to your doctor; most of the Endos in my area hand over thyroid monitoring to your OB once 2nd tri hits so you get one-stop monitoring.

Knottie42089123 · October 2016

@xath I work very closely with my doctor and am not advising people to forgo medical attention in favor of lifestyle changes. I'm very well-read on autoimmune diseases, which hashi's is, and the treatments available as well as environmental factors that can trigger and exacerbate it. I'm personally not a "one pill should fix it" person and I never will be. I'm doing what's best for me and expect others to do the same for themselves. If anyone wants information on a holistic look at autoimmune thyroid disease, I am more than happy to share what I have learned from all the time and work I've put into it. Otherwise, to each her own.

abmommy15 · October 2016

Also if you are prescribed Synthroid make sure you don't have any calcium within 4 hours of taking it. The calcium hinders the body's absorption of the synthroid. Don't take it at the same time as your prenatal because of the calcium in it.

kahlan82 · October 2016

I have hypothyrodism and I was diagnosed before my first pregnancy with DS. I didn't find it scary but I am on a low dose. My OB checked my levels throughout my pregnancy and afterwards. Everything went fine. This round, my fertility doctor had me increase my dosage by a third (taking double pills on the weekend) because he says there is new research that says it helps babies neural function. Everyone's experience is different but maybe hearing this will put you a little at ease.

Want a personalized experience?

Hypothyroid

Re: Hypothyroid

Choose Another Board

Search Boards