Autoimmune thyroid disease and pregnancy (TW)

Skk1977 · November 2019

I discovered I had autoimmune thyroid disease after my first child. I was so dizzy I was blacking out every five minutes, losing hair and I lost 60 pounds in six weeks. I was extremely hyperthyroid and didn’t know it. I have a history of miscarriage and it could potentially be linked to the fact I have antibodies for Graves and Hashimotos. If you have these antibodies and you TSH elevates above 2.5, it can cause miscarriage.

So I got my TSH levels checked at they were over 10. Not good. I’m doubling my meds for now until I can get another appointment.

i was being evaluated my a fertility specialist and one thing they had me do was a Clomid challenge. You take Clomid for five days during a specific time in your cycle and it measures how your body responds to the introduction of the hormones. Clomid can also increase your chances of pregnancy by about 6%. Another thing I’m reading is it might elevate TSH levels. Waiting to hear back from endocrinologist about whether this is real or if it’s artificial form the Clomid. Or whether it can cause miscarriage regardless of whether Clomid caused it.

Also, I will hear back about whether I’m doubling this afternoon.

Le sigh.

stlbuckeye132 · November 2019

@Skk1977 oh man that's a lot to deal with. I'm hoping you get only good news this afternoon.

modoodles · November 2019

Hoping you get great news today & going forward! I have hypothyroidism, so opposite of your problem, but also possible cause for mc. When are they retesting your TSH?

b_1029 · November 2019

Wow that’s a lot, so sorry you’re dealing with that. I hope you get good news this afternoon!

Skk1977 · November 2019

@modoodles I think on Monday. The HSG levels almost tripled so that’s great news. I have a new appt with endo on Monday too. I have hypo and hyperthyroidism. I have both graves and hashimotos.

modoodles · November 2019

@Skk1977 sorry! I missed that! Great news about your betas- good luck on Monday!

Skk1977 · November 2019

Thank you @modoodles. Sorry if my response was abrupt. I was in the middle of a four hour headache and queasiness session 😂

modoodles · November 2019

No apology needed @Skk1977! I didnt read anything into it at all- I hope you're feeling better!

macheno · November 2019

@Skk1977 sorry you are dealing with this! Glad to hear your betas were good. Praying your other tests come back with good results.

misskdreams · November 2019

@Skk1977 holy moly! A TSH of 10 is quite high.

I had thyroid cancer and had a total thyroidectomy and went through a total struggle with regulating my meds. I have never been as high as 10. How are you feeling? When was it tested at that level?

My endocrinologist wants my TSH slightly above 1.0 for pregnancy, usually we shoot for just below 1.0. I am also having it tested every 6 weeks to make sure it stays that way. However my TSH target might be lower than your target to stop my thyroid from trying to grow back.

What is your regular target TSH?

Also, has your diet changed recently at all? or weight? I am wondering if absorption could have something to do with it being so high.

TSH and pregnancy hormones combined are no joke. We’re both in for a hormone tornado.

Skk1977 · November 2019

@misskdreams thank you for sharing with me. I hope you have been able to regulate after cancer and congratulations on your recovery.

My goal is under 2.5 TSH during pregnancy because anything over it can cause miscarriage if you carry antibodies for graves or hashimotos. I can’t remember which. I have both. The test was done on the 13th. I have a TSH of .8 from the previous month.

Endo said it was pregnancy and Clomid that caused the spike and it is a real risk. We are doing a blood draw this Friday to follow up. Good news is my T4 looks great, which is most important. I was hoping that the TSH was a fluke from a Clomid and didnt pose a real risk. That is not the case.

i have recently gone vegan in the past few months. I recently added eggs because I’m pregnant.

They doubled me to 100 mcg levothyroxine to bring it down.

Thank you for your questions.

modoodles · November 2019

@Skk1977 I'm happy you have a team that is on top of it! My T4 is 1.3 so totally in normal range, but my TSH is slightly elevated at 4.6. (It was 6.9 in September) I'm on 75.mcg levothyroxine, and we will retest in a month because I was told to expect to need a dosage increase during pregnancy.

Skk1977 · November 2019

@modoodles it looks like my T4 is .82. I just have a totally weirdo TSH. T4 is normal. Hoping Friday will show a huge decrease.

Skk1977 · November 2019

TSH is down to 5.8 this week so I hope it continues to decrease.

and_peggy · November 2019

I have Hashimoto’s too. Had it for about 15 years but it’s been dormant until my third pregnancy. Had to take meds all throughout last pregnancy and get checked every 3 weeks. Just went back yesterday and he changed my dose so hopefully I’ll start to feel more normal soon. My TSH was slightly off at 4. Was on 50mcg but he’s going to double me to 100mcg and I go back in about 3 weeks.

Skk1977 · November 2019

@rachstar18 thanks for posting. Good luck coming down to 2.5. My meds doubling worked really well in the last seven days.

I’ve had to push for more frequent blood draws and check ins. I’m annoyed because I’ve read several medical journals that recommend that the patient empirically increase the dose by at least 30% the moment they get a positive pregnancy test.

I called them a few times and they said nothing other than to get TSH checked. I guess this is what happens when you’re in between doctors. (My last Endo who monitored my last pregnancy left this practice last year.)

My husband is a physician and said you need to advocate for yourself as some docs push back tests and decisions because it’s less work for them.

and_peggy · November 2019

@Skk1977 thankfully my endo is very proactive, especially during pregnancy. I hated the bimonthly, then monthly blood draws but it beats putting the baby at risk.

**TW** I lost my first around 8 weeks and it was before I was on Lev so I always get into the dr right away. But it looks like I’m going to be on it forever now.

He also said my vitamin D levels were 18, should be 40-100. So I have to take 50000 units a week now as well.

Definitely be your own advocate!

kat11223344 · November 2019

I'm in the Hashimotos boat too! I developed after baby #2 and it got pretty rough before I finally got to a good endocrinologist who took two seconds to figure out what was going on.

I increased my dose 30% with #3 and was monitored and everything was perfect, so I'm hoping it's the case again. You really do have to advocate for yourself though because the thyroid stuff is really tricky and I think way for docs to oversimplify.

My ob wants me to just up from 112- 125 which isn't enough and I need to tactfully say you're definitely wrong- fix it! I'm also married to a doc @Skk1977 and he's always amazed by how docs don't pay enough attention to stuff like this.

and_peggy · November 2019

@maythe4thbewithyou1234 you’re right about it being tricky. My mom simultaneously had Graves and Hashimotos for 20 years before anyone caught it. That’s why I fought really hard to get a dr to listen to me. My patterns were almost identical to hers, and it still took me probably 8 years for a doctor to listen.

Skk1977 · November 2019

@maythe4thbewithyou1234 @rachstar18 I was surprised that my first two endos had no effing clue about the connection between miscarriage and TSH with antibodies for hashimotos. I was like how can you be a specialist and literally not have the most important information I would need? I’ve also found that endos have unvlear diagnoses: postpartum thyroiditis, graves, hashimotos, autoimmune thyroid disease. They all contradict each other.

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