Hypothyroidism.

[tamithomas]

So after three years of TTC with no success excluding my MC last month, I finally went to see a doctor and found out I have hypothyroidism. In a sense I feel relief since I now know what part of the TTC problem is as well as my DH not having the best quality nor quantity of sperm. According to my doc is significant enough to notice I have it but not enough to be given meds for it. My level is 36 over 4..whatever that means.

Do any of you ladies have at home remedies for hypothyroidism? Glad to know there was a reason as to why my menstruations have been getting slightly stronger and stronger each year and why I've gained a flabby stomach no matter what i eat or how much i excersize.

 

[2have4kids]

Hi Tami, just found out the same thing last week. A lovely lady on B&B told me about Armour as a natural alternative treatment. After doing some research, all of the reviews come back glowing over synthroid.
I've been taking synthroid for a week and have started sweating profusely during normal small workouts. Even at work sitting I tend to overheat and I've started using antiperspirant everyday now. I'm going to the doc tomorrow to ask for Armour, sounds like a much better natural solution!
Hypothyroidism can greatly effect your chances, it suppresses your adrenal function when you're probably needing those hormones to work. Best of luck with it!!

 

[arizonagal]

Hmm, Armour Thyroid is definitely a medication though . . . if your doctor doesn't think you need meds you probably shouldn't take it. One thing you can try is to watch what raw foods you eat. There is an article here that explains it:

https://www.herbcompanion.com/cooking/Smart-foods-for-hypothyroidism.aspx

 

[2have4kids]

They said that I needed to get mine up from 3.6 to above 2 or 3 before IVF. The docs also said that a pregnancy would likely have dropped me even lower to the point where I'd need to be treated.

I'll have to research all of the interactions with pregnancy/tests of babies etc.

 

[arizonagal]

2have4kids-I wouldn't worry about interactions, most people on thyroid meds stay on them when pregnant. I just meant if tami didn't want to take meds there are diet options that can help

 

[Sizzles]

I have hypothryroidism and have been medicated now for about 5 or 6 years. I haven't looked at the article that was posted, but in case it doesn't mention it, I wanted to say that broccoli is a veg that is considered to be a 'goitrogen', whcih is a group of foods which can affect thyroid function. Generally it is seen as excessive to exclude goitrogens from your diet, but more so to limit them.

As far as naturally tackling an underactive thyroid is concerned, my acupuncturist says acupuncture can greatly help, though she is being careful with mine as she is treating the infertility and doesn't want to mess with it too much as I could go unstable by staying on the prescribed meds and being treated with the acu.

 

[tamithomas]

thanks for the replies ladies. Doc says it's not apparent enough to medicate but surely it must have at least some sort of effect on the fertility part even if it's small. I'll deal for now, after all it could always be worse. Just feels sorta relief that it's no longer a shot in the wind of why it's taking so long to conceive. Oh mother nature you craycray lol

 

[readyformore]

I've had hypothyroidism for about 12 years now.....you can't manage it with food or home remedies. Sorry, you just can't.

You need to see an endocrinologist and they will help you to get a medication (for life) and get the dose adjusted to what is best for you.

Good luck.

 

[2have4kids]

Hmm, Armour Thyroid is definitely a medication though . . . if your doctor doesn't think you need meds you probably shouldn't take it. One thing you can try is to watch what raw foods you eat. There is an article here that explains it:

https://www.herbcompanion.com/cooking/Smart-foods-for-hypothyroidism.aspx

Thanks for the link. I think for those of us who've been told our thyroid is low (but still in the normal range) and are having a hard time ttc, it's def worth treating in order to see if it help us conceive. If they require you to have your levels in the 2-3 zone for IVF and many of us who've had a crap time ttc sit at 3.6 or lower (past 4), for me it's time to see if this helps. If it helps me not packing on so much weight too, I'd be very happy for this side effect.

But the other thing in this article is another finger-pointing-bad at soy products. I'm very careful about how much soy I consume and I'm not surprised that soy isoflavins are linked with blocking thyroid. Tops off the evidence that soy hinders the fertility of the offspring of the females that consume it, the estrogen blocking (not boosting-this is widely misunderstood) properties of soy(hindering adult female fertility) AND the fact that many governments have taken children's soy products off the shelves as it's absolutely proven that young girl toddlers are rendered completely infertile from consuming it - I really don't understand the hype on these blogs about it.
It's NOT a health food-in fact it's classified by nutritionists as an anti-nutrient:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2869231/

 

[readyformore]

I avoided soy because I read somewhere that it can interfere with thyroid med absorption. The majority of hypothyroidism is caused from Hashimoto's thyroiditis though, that's an autoimmune disease. So, the majority of hypothyroidism is not caused from soy products. I'm sure it's something to look into anyway.

FYI- According to the US scale, your TSH should be between 1-2 for ttc. I keep seeing you mention 2-3 and I assume you are referring to TSH? Some ob/gyns and REs will say anything less than 4 is acceptable. Even my own endocrinologist will say anything less than 6 is acceptable!! However, he did say when it comes to difficultly with ttc, a person with hypothyroidism should try to have a TSH of between 1-2.

 

[tamithomas]

Like I said, I'm as confused as it gets by the numbers but she's sending me for another blood test next month which will determine if she puts me on meds or not. Chances are she will I hope after I mention about our TTC because I wanna fix anything that is hindering my chances of BFP. She only knows about the MC, not about us actively trying. The only time I mentioned it so far is when she tried to give me anti anxiety pills i asked her if it hindered with fertility. These past few appointments have been about generally getting to know about my health.

 

[dodgercpkl]

Tami - I'd recommend pushing your dr to test you on free T3, free T4, and TPO Antibodies in addition to TSH levels. That gives a much clearer picture if there is a problem. My TSH levels have always been normal, but when I started testing with my Endocrinologist, she tested all of what I mentioned and found that I was hypothyroid and actually had borderline Hashimotos (autoimmune disorder). Try and get the actual results from her if you can (it might be that 36 over 4 is how it's done in Canada though. If so it's very different then what my results have always been!).

Also in regards to Armour vs Synthroid, Synthroid is a synthetic and only contains T4. Your thyroid needs to convert that T4 into T3 which is what the other processes in the body use. If you have an auto immune disorder, then just getting the T4 might not help at all since it tends to shut down parts or all of your thyroids ability to process the T4 into T3. Armour contains both T3 and T4 and is a bio identical, so it's better for anyone with an auto immune disorder or anyone that the synthetic Synthroid doesn't work for.

 

[Sapphire909]

Hi, I also have hypothyrodism, I am on synthroid/levothyroxne (75 mcg) , which is completely safe while pregnant.

 

[mizuno]

So after three years of TTC with no success excluding my MC last month, I finally went to see a doctor and found out I have hypothyroidism. In a sense I feel relief since I now know what part of the TTC problem is as well as my DH not having the best quality nor quantity of sperm. According to my doc is significant enough to notice I have it but not enough to be given meds for it. My level is 36 over 4..whatever that means.

Do any of you ladies have at home remedies for hypothyroidism? Glad to know there was a reason as to why my menstruations have been getting slightly stronger and stronger each year and why I've gained a flabby stomach no matter what i eat or how much i excersize.

tami,
I'm not sure what those numbers mean and I'm in Canada, so it's not just a weird Canadian thing
You should push your doctor to treat your hypothyroidism. Don't listen when they tell you that the normal range is 1-3 or 1-5. It may be the normal range, but I was reading that in order to support a pregnancy your TSH should be close to 1.

Just wanted to say regarding synthroid vs armour - you might not need T3 if your body can convert T4 to T3.
I have subclinical hypothyroidism (TSH not that high) and after 2 months of 25 micrograms (yes, I know it's tiny) of synthroid per day my TSH went down from 6 to 1.7. So, I think synthroid may work, it just depends on what the problem is.

And I know what you mean about being relieved now that you know what might be the problem. I am convinced that if I can get my thyroid under control I could get pregnant So, I hope it works out for both of us!!!! Good luck!

 

[justhoping]

I've had hypothyroidism for about 12 years now.....you can't manage it with food or home remedies. Sorry, you just can't.

You need to see an endocrinologist and they will help you to get a medication (for life) and get the dose adjusted to what is best for you.

Good luck.

Im hyperthyroid and agree that you cant just handle the thyroid with diet and its very dangerous to try. The thyroid not only does you fertility it does your heart your lungs your liver, all you functions and the more out of whack it can get you can become very ill. This I know for a fact as that is how I found out I had a thyroid problem.

good luck!

I cant take synthriod so Im on another med for thryiod that is available called Tapizole.

 

[No Doubt]

Tami I was battling the same thing...no matter how much/little I ate I would keep gaining weight, but I also was diagnosed with pcos which also accelerated the weight gain. I'd definately say they need to give you meds. I take Levothyoxine as well. It was 100mg/day, but things improved so they let me knock one day off. I think that only converted 86.6 mg/day or something like that. And if things eventually get better you don't need to be on it for life. It's very possible this may be the case, but my pcp and endo both told me that if my levels can become stabilized at some point in my life that I wouldn't have to take it forever. A good amount of people do have to, but like I said they backed my dosage down not even a year after I started taking it. And it is completely safe to take while preggo. The only thing is it's not a miracle drug so you may have to still take it a while before falling preggo. GL!

 

[Teach2]

Hi I hope you don't mind me joining in. I am 29 and have been TTC for a year. The last couple of months my eyebrows have been falling out and I have hardly any left now. The doc sent sent me for a blood test thinking thyroid problem. I am waiting for the results. I don't have unexplained weight gain. I have put on weight but haven't been to the gym in a year. I have been diagnosed with a prolapsed uterus and lots of exercises make it worse. Not to mention back pain from being on my feet too long. Do you think this could still be a thyroid problem?

 

[dlj2]

I've had hypothyroidism for about 12 years now.....you can't manage it with food or home remedies. Sorry, you just can't.

You need to see an endocrinologist and they will help you to get a medication (for life) and get the dose adjusted to what is best for you.

Good luck.

Completely agree, I've had it for ten years and my fertility specialist said my levels needed to be between 1-2 to aid conception. As pp said you need to see a specialist and get a second opinion. GL.x

 

[tamithomas]

thanks for the advice ladies, will be mentioned our TTC to our doc next time we see her next month. Cheers! to you all