Hypothyroid

[snettyb]

I am hypothyroid (was before pregnancy) and i am classed as medium/high risk because of it. If you read on the internet about the condition in pregnancy it can be quit scary. It talks of low IQ, still birth, pre term labour, low birth weight etc etc so i thought it might be a good idea to start a thread in here so we can talk about our concerns and experiences.

I feel like a pin cusion lol, constant blood tests and hospital visits and adjustments of my thyroxine. I am shattered all the time and freezing cold, my skin is dry and i feel like shite most of the time. I'm like this most of the time but more so while pregnant,

I was hypo when i was pregnant with DS2 and i am happy to say he was not pre term (6 days late infact) was born healthy at a healthy weight and is developing at a normal rate. I guess the IQ thing won't become clear until he is older but for now he is doing great. My thyroid is worse this pregnancy so fingers crossed this hippo will be fine as well.

Sorry for the ramble lol, so, anyone Hypothyroid? xx

 

[MrsPhillips]

Hi there. I am hypothyroid. No one has spoken to me about any complications as yet. I had my bloods tested at my request 2 weeks ago as I was still feeling tired but they have come back fine. I did feel in the first trimester that my skin was itchy and I was incredibly tired, but thats faded now. I'm sorry you are feeling the way you are about it and your thyroid is playing you up. I had no idea about the worries of low IQ. I know I am due to see the obstetrician in 2 weeks because of my thyroid, and I now have a growth scan in 6 weeks because of it. I had a 22 week scan on Friday and baby weighed 1lb 3oz which I thought might be a little heavy?
You sound like you are being looked after though with lots of tests. At least they are keeping an eye on you.

 

[snettyb]

I think most of the complications happen if your thyroid problems are untreated.

My thyroid is badly underactive and i take a rediculous amount of thyroxine, i have to see a consultant every 4 weeks, its a nightmare! I discussed all the scary stuff with my doc and he put my mind at ease (a bit) but its hard not to worry

Hope your levels stay stable and your pregnancy is uneventful xx

 

[DizzyMoo]

*stands* My name is moo & i've been hypo for 16yrs .. im now 27

I suffer badly with it & always have, Meds with my 1st pregnancy had to increase & they did this time too .
I hate this condition i really do, Even after having it so long it doesn't get easier.

At least for some ladies its only gestational hypo & it gets better once baby is born, but for those of us who suffer day in day out it takes the piss eh

The low iq & problems you mention are problems of untreated hypo's, Symptoms vary though from person to person.

Hugs to you ladies who also have it whether gestational or not x

 

[Szaffi]

I'm also hypothyroid, in fact, we were unable to conceive until my dosage was at the right level.

I was not classed as "high risk" because of it though, I have 6 weekly follow-ups with an endocrinologist, and my dose has been adjusted twice already. Not too worried about the risks though, as my condition is treated.

It is a great idea to start a thread about it though, as it may be helpful for some of the ladies here (my first gyneacologist thought I was stupid when I asked him if he shouldn't check my thyroid level. Luckily, I changed gyneacologist)

 

[Tierney]

Hi Ladies, I'm also Hypo and currently ttc, I'm so glad I found this thread because I was worried it might be harder to get pregnant being hypo but as you are all pregnant this has given me hope! I hope to join you all very soon xx

 

[snettyb]

Hi Ladies, I'm also Hypo and currently ttc, I'm so glad I found this thread because I was worried it might be harder to get pregnant being hypo but as you are all pregnant this has given me hope! I hope to join you all very soon xx

Being Hypo does affect your fertility but if your being treated and your levels are ok you stand as good a chance as anyone. Good luck and i hope you get your BFP really soon xx

 

[littlestar]

I found out i was Hypo at 8 weeks pregnant after blood tests with a fertility specialist at 4weeks.

so i was sped through booking in and saw a consultant asap so i could start thyroxine.

so the very early stages of my pregnancy were untreated. the complications haven't been discussed with me but at the moment pregnancy is going really well. i'm 35 weeks (by their reckoning) and measuring 39 weeks got a growth scan today.

i was due to see the fertility specialist initially to discuss why my cycles hadn't returned after the pill, i'd only had 6 cycles in 12 months, and he found my thyroid problem, could have suffered un-diagnosed for up to 4 years. I turned up at the specialist pregnant!

my worry is now i'm measuring big, is has the baby benefited from the thyroxine and is big because if it, or am i further on than they think and might still have thyroid related issues with LO? my LMP was dec 08 when i got my BFP in march!

I have only seen the specialist twice - but i have bloods done by the midwife every 4 weeks and my dosage has changed once. now on 75mg but still tired and have been suffering really badly with itchy feet (which i wasn't aware could be down to my thyroid - i've had tests for OC as it's so bad at night)

 

[Szaffi]

When did they do the first ultrasound? If it was around wk 6-8, they cannot be far off from the gestational age, as at that phase, there is hardly any variation among the fetuses (at least that's what I've been told).

 

[Szaffi]

Hi Ladies, I'm also Hypo and currently ttc, I'm so glad I found this thread because I was worried it might be harder to get pregnant being hypo but as you are all pregnant this has given me hope! I hope to join you all very soon xx

Tierney, I had a comprehensive fertility workup and this was the only problem they have found (and even then, it was more like borderline hypothyroidism). However, for me conceiving didn't happen until my TSH level was brought down in a 1.0-2.0 range. So the outer range of "normal" (3.5-4.5) didn't work at all. This may vary from individual to individual, but maybe worths keeping in mind.

 

[bubbles_cymru]

Morning ladies

I have congenital hypothyroidism therefore I was diagnosed at birth - the heel prick and iodine testing was only introduced in Wales that year and if it hadn't been, I'd be a very different lady than I am today - my mum believes my guardian angel was there protecting me! I have been controlled with thyroxine all my life having hospital visits evey few weeks, to every 6 months and now annually. It's moved back to every 4-6 weeks during my pregnancy tho. I was currently on 200mcg daily and have only recently been put up to 225 as my TS levels shot up! So they're now fine again. As far as my baby is concerned she was conceived within 3 months of trying and is so far at 26 weeks spot on the size she should be and all her organs are functioning and developing nicely. They haven't given me any warnings regarding her development as hypothyroidism is not necessarily hereditary. No one in my family has ever had it from birth apart from my mothers cousin who developed it in her 40s.

On a positive note ladies and what you must remember is that I was caught with the problem at birth in 1982 - I am a perfectly normal happy healthy fully grown and developed 27 year old who got all her GCSE's, A-Levels and degree - We're now in 2009 and medicine and treatments have developed significantly, so even if your baby is born with an endocrine problem the chances of him or her having a perfectly normal happy healthy childhood is near enough 100%. I am living proof! Hope this helps xxx

 

[littlestar]

When did they do the first ultrasound? If it was around wk 6-8, they cannot be far off from the gestational age, as at that phase, there is hardly any variation among the fetuses (at least that's what I've been told).

7w+4 was my first scan at EPU which was a few days before i got my diagnosis i started thyroxine the following week.

i was warned if i didn't start treatment asap, that the outcome of my pregnancy could have been very different. (ie higher risk of miscarrying)

I still don't know if i run the risk of pre-term labour etc or whether the risk is lowered due to treatment. anyhow i have my last thyroid blood test on thursday (for during pregnancy anyway)

 

[snettyb]

My thyroid wasn't treated with my last pregnancy until 12 weeks or so as i was too ill to take the thyroxine, i couldn't keep anything down. When i went to see the consultant he went mad with me and i really didn't realise the importance until then. Anyway, try not to worry littlestar about your untreated time as jacob was overdue, heavy and perfectly developed and it continuing to develop well despite my stupidity for the first trimester. xx

 

[enzed]

I am hypothyroid too - I was told during my pregnancy that I needed to get it checked every 6 weeks. At my last hospital appointment, the other day (at 36 weeks) I was informed that my TSH should have been kept under 2.0 throughout my pregnancy, because higher TSH could mean baby's growth was restricted.. Actually, my results have gone from 3.6 down to 2.2, and no-one else has ever mentioned that my TSH should have been kept lower. As it turns out, baby is bigger than average, and I'm being induced 2 weeks early (in 9 days!!!), but I've never seen the same Dr twice at the hospital, and if I had known that my TSH should be below 2.0 during pregnancy, I would have pushed the issue and asked at my very first antenatal clinic appointment.

 

[cutie4evr01]

So can hypothyroid be a cause for big babies? Or growth restriction? I am hypothyroid, and my thyroxine dose was increased when I had my levels checked at the beginning of second tri, and today I go back to have them checked for third tri to see if it needs to be increased even more. Like enzed said, my endocrinologist only brought my TSH down from 4.5-5 to about 2.5 (this was all pre-pregnancy) - I had no idea it was supposed to be under 2 - I will ask about this today.

Anyway, I digress. My baby is measuring about 2 weeks ahead (based on most recent scan). I was tested for gestational diabetes but that came back clear, so I assumed baby was just large because my hubby is 6'7". Can hypothyroid cause a big baby? or a small one?

 

[Kitty23]

I'm hypothyroid to but so far touch wood my symptoms havent resurfaced. I've got a consultant looking after me for the thyroid and I just get bloods done every 4/6 weeks Don't google the effects for your baby lol it just scares you, those probles ie low IQ are only going to happen if you take no thyroxine for the whole pregnancy so don't worry! xxx

 

[staycutee]

Hi

I'm hypothyroid too. Was hyper but then had radioactive treatment to make me hypo as it's easier to treat apparently. I was on 150mg before pregnancy, now on 50 and even that is a bit too much but only 5 weeks to go so they said it should be fine.

xx

 

[snettyb]

My thyroxine has just been put up to 225mcg Oh the joy!

I knew it needed increasing, no one can feel this tired just coz there pregnant, i'm more tired than a tired thing lol.

 

[Szaffi]

My thyroxine has just been put up to 225mcg Oh the joy!

I knew it needed increasing, no one can feel this tired just coz there pregnant, i'm more tired than a tired thing lol.

Hopefully that'll make you feel better. My energy levels didn't encrease until they brought down my TSH level under 2 - I've got 1 month to go only, but have way more energy now than I did any other time in my pregnancy, even though I'm bigger, and have more physical problems (like backache).

 

[bubbles_cymru]

Snetty I'm on 225mcg too - it's hard enough with the tiredness without being hypothyroid too eh!!