Hypothyroid Diagnosis and Pregnant

I would get a second opinion and if it is the fact- I would go homeopathic. People have always judged me with that- and I never did the tests- both my kids are fine- please lead a normal life and eat healthy please! You'll be fine!
Good luck!

M., It is most important to get your TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) levels around 2 even though the range is .5-4.5. Also, the important thing as others have mentioned is to get your levels right and then keep consistently taking your synthetic thyroid hormone (levothyroxine/synthryoid) -- this will give you the optimal chance of getting pregnant again, and it is absolutely critical that your levels are checked extremely early in the pregnancy -- I had mine checked as soon as I found out I was pregnant and then again in the first trimester. The first trimester is the most important with respect to appropriate TSH levels and the development of the fetus.

Mary Shomon has a couple of books and good info:
http://thyroid.about.com/

Hope this helps. Good luck with everything.

Take care,
N.

First, let me say that your thyroid should be treated to bring it back into the normal range. If you plan another pregnancy,my advice to you is to see a qualified Board certified Endocrinologist before you becone pregnant.Thyroid hormone levels are normally higher during pregnancy,so your replacement dose will need to be checked periodically.Consequences of untreated hypothyroidism during pregnancy can result in damage during fetal development.

Hi M.,

I have autoimmune thyroid disease (hypothyroid) as well as diabetes and was told that it makes it harder for me to conceive. I've had 2 beautiful daughters since then and even though I was a high risk pregnancy following strict doctors orders and lots of tests and we did fine. My oldest is 7 and the youngest almost 2. Neither one has any problems with their IQ. My oldest is far ahead in smarts. The biggest thing is getting onto meds for it and getting your levels balanced the way your endocrinologist wants them. After that, its smooth sailing! Good luck!

I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism 2 weeks before learning that I was pregnant... so we didn't have any time to "manage" the condition without pregnancy symptoms playing a part. It was a weird pregnancy becuase we didn't know if symptoms were from the hypothyroidism or not...
In the end, very health 8 12 baby.

Once the pregnancy was over we were able to monitor and control my hypothyrodism better because we could do so without worrying about the pregnancy. I've been on 112 mc of Synthroid for years now... (dosage varied greatly while pregnant though.)
It took us over a year to conceive our second child - we were getting frustrated - but I'm 9 months pregnant now with #2. Everything has been going smoothly. The doctor told us as long as I kept up with the meds - then it would not affect the pregnancy... the biggest risk with hypo or hyper thyroidism is when you don't maintain the medication and your levels bounce all over the place. Some people are irresonsible with the meds, or just lazy and don't take them on time every day. As long as you do what you're told - the meds work well and keep your body balanced.

I don't know if our conception time was because of this condition, or because of any other variable in life. It is impossible to say... Best of luck! I wouldn't worry - the condition has not affected my life negatively in any way - other than the annoyance of taking medication.

Good luck!

I had two babies while diagnosed with having a hypER thyroid disease and conceived and successfully had two happy healthy babies. While they are not the same, my understanding is it's just a different medication. They do alot more testing (mostly bloodwork)and you have to take the prescribed medication....but I wouldn't worry too much!

Hi M.,
I went through the same thing. All I needed was to take my daily dose of hormone drug called Levoxyl. I took it (and still take it) every day. I had to have blood draws every few weeks to assure that my levels were okay. Thank God, everything with the pregnancy went well and my baby is fine. I have, in my humble opinion, two very bright and happy children!

I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism before my last pregnancy. Just make sure that you take you medication regular and the doctors with do blood tests maybe even montly to be sure that you are at the right level. I think as long as it is controlled on medication all should be fine. Good luck!!

I have been taking medication for hypothyroidism for about 10 years and had no problems conceiving or any complications in pregnancy related to it - you just continue to take the dose that was prescribed and my doctor checked my thyroid levels 1x/trimester - in two pregnancies, I never had to adjust my amount/level of medications and all was fine. So rest assured and just follow through with your doctor. Good luck!

(Not sure if this has been said yet or not . . .) I was born with Hashimotos, the autoimmune version of Hypothyroid which really wrecked my body as it grew/developed. The belief is that it 'could' be responsible for 4 of my 5 miscarriages.

However, my endocrinologist always said that as long as I'm monitored and my dosage is correct, that none of the concerns apply. As soon as I knew I was pregnant, he put me on monthly testing and changed the dosage accordingly. Post-pregnancy, he tested me quarterly and changed. We have a wonderful 16mos, who was a premie due to many other reasons unrelated to hypothyroid.

Hopefully you have a great endo (please get one, if you don't have). I would not rely on an OB/GYN for any of the testing/dosage. Good luck!

I was also diagnosed as hypothyroid when we were planning to start trying to conceive. I was told the same things as you were about possible complications, and was advised to get my thyroid hormone levels under control through the correct dose of medication (levothyroxin) before trying to conceive. This took several months of trial and error, with different doses of medication prescribed and then adjusted by my endocrinologist following periodic blood tests.

However, once my thyroid levels were stabilized within the normal range, I was told that it would be fine to get pregnant, and the doctor would simply monitor my thyroid levels throughout the pregnancy and make any necessary medication adjustments. I did not actually end up getting pregnant (for other reasons not related to my thyroid) and we ended up adopting instead, but the point of all this is that as long as your hypothyroidism is properly treated and controlled, it is not a problem and you will be fine.

I also have a hypothyroid diagnosis. I have been taking Levoxyl for about 9 years. I got married in June of 08, and conceived in July 08. No problems at all! :) Regular blood draws to monitor levels, which is totally normal. Hypothyroidism can cause weight gain, so if you were already prego it would hard to tell without bloodwork. I am pretty sure they check it anyway though. Just make sure to tell your OB.
By the way, I have perfectly healthy, "normally" developmentally progressing 16 month old!!

I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism almost 15 years ago - i take synthroid - have two healthy children and had no difficulties conceiving - nor did I have any pregnancy problems (and i had twins!).