Hypothyroidism

[CheshireDucky]

Sorry to butt back in again but I saw my endo last week and thought the info might be helpful/a guide to seeing your endo.

When he tests me he does the full thyroid panel and compares it all. My TSH was higher on the chart but said the dose I was on was fine unless I was experiencing symptoms. When I told him I was TTC he upped my dose wanting me below 2.5 and told me the second I get a positive test to call so he can up my dose again. He said once I get pregnant (and to call him the second I find out) I'll need more medication. I'm getting blood tests again in two months to make sure the dose he gave me is lowering to where it needs to be and we'll play it by ear after that.

So get yourself an endo who will listen and support you. He's confident I'll be able to get pregnant and stay that way.

Sending baby dust during your TWW and beyond.

 

[Gagrlinpitt]

Coming from someone who was diagnosed with graves AND hashimotos.. I met with an Endo before I started TTCing.. took me 4 months and we got our first BFP (at the time my tsh was a 2.25 and I was not on meds). It ended up a CP and after talking with my Endo she immediately put me on meds.. I got pregnant again a month and a half later and I'm 28 weeks now and my TSH is a 1.06. I'm on 50mcg of levothyroxine 7 days a week and two days I take a second 50mcg. This is the best I've felt with my thyroid symptoms...

Be open and honest with your Endo and they will guide you to a successful pregnancy.

 

[TTCfirstovr30]

Garg, had no idea!! We are proof that it can happen with the right support!

 

[Gagrlinpitt]

Garg, had no idea!! We are proof that it can happen with the right support!

Absolutely!!!

 

[LAR83]

Hey all. I am glad you started this thread. I just started one too about my hashimoto's looking for others, because I hadn't seen this one. I just wrote a long entry over there, so at the risk of being redundant, I am going to copy and paste part of it over here:

"For years I was having my thyroid levels checked by a primary care physician, but I recently sought treatment with a reproductive endocrinologist. My TSH was somewhere between 5 and 6 when I checked it last month, so my doctor increased my levothyroxine from 50mcg to 75mcg. But less than a week after the med change, she still had me do my 3rd IUI. Now that I am learning more about my thyroid, I think that was a mistake. I should have waited until I knew my levels were under control before going ahead with the IUI. I got my blood tested again on Friday and will get the results on Monday or Tuesday. If the levels aren't where they should be, I will advocate to postpone my 4th and final IUI until I can get it under control.

When the nurse told me that my TSH levels had increased, I asked her what could potentially cause that, and she said she didn't know! Never once has a doctor or nurse educated me about the interaction of foods and the thyroid. I just finally started doing my own research. I am reading a book now called "Your Healthy Pregnancy with Thyroid Disease" and have been doing research online. Things I thought were healthy- and can be for people with normal functionally thyroids- aren't healthy for us. For example, I was drinking sooo much grapefruit juice because I have heard there are benefits for EWCM. Grapefruit juice interacts with Levothyroxine and reduces its effectiveness....that may be why my TSH levels increased. I was also putting flaxseeds in my smoothie... I read that can bad for people with hypothyroidism, and I was eating cruciferous veggies (like broccoli, cauliflower, kale, brussel sprouts) and I read that that can really suppress thyroid function. I also read that you shouldn't take your vitamins at the same time as you take Levothyroxine, because there is an interaction and can make the Levothyroxine less effective. I never knew that. I always took it with my vitamins.

I am just sharing all this because I have been struggling with infertility, and I wish my doctor had educated me more about my thyroid. I realize now that I should have taken it into my own hands and not just have trusted her to tell me these things. But it's not too late... I am going to try to take my health into my own hands now, and I hope that I can become pregnant after making some serious lifestyle changes."

I would love to stay in touch with you ladies while dealing with hypothyroid and TTC. I think it would help a lot. Especially as we learn more about it, so we can share with each other what we've learned. And for those who shared your success stories, thank you! I needed to hear that. I know it's possible. I have just been feeling very discourage lately.

 

[Hopeful.89]

LAR83, I hope that your 4th and final IUI, if needed, works! I am shocked that your doctor would let you go through with it while your number is out!

Yes grapefruit juice and grapefruit essential oils can interact with your meds and make them less effective.

When I was put on synthroid in the past my pharmacist stressed the importance of not taking my thyroid meds with my prenatal vitamin! It is super important but maybe not something they always inform you of.

I am still waiting to hear from my doctor on what my levels were from last week, I made an appointment to see her on Thursday so hopefully we can get it all sorted out. I had no idea about the brocolli, etc being bad for it! I need to do some reading!

I hope that in the near future we can all be sharing our BFP announcements together!

 

[heaveneats]

LAR83 wow thank you for your response!!! i didn't know any of this! i've slowly been learning things on my own since my doctor has been less than helpful

 

[Gagrlinpitt]

There are some great groups on Facebook for hashimotos support and autoimmunity support. Sugar, some veggies, and enriched flour can all cause issues and elevated symptoms from thyroid disease...

 

[TTCfirstovr30]

Hi LAR - Yes, food plays a significant role with your thyroid. I always take my thyroid medication as soon as I get out of bed in the morning with water. I wait at least 30-60 min before having anything, including coffee. Because Coffee/Tea can interact with Synthroid/Levorthroxine.

 

[heaveneats]

i am to start synthroid next week, and looking forward to hopefully feeling normal again. So far i'm 8 dpo and i doubt this is my month i just havent been feeling optimistic with the spotting i had early on in my cycle near ovulation, i've been taking OPK as well just to make sure my body doesnt do something weird, so far i've gotten a pretty dark line, then less colored lines now a bit more color, so i'm going to stop taking them lol it's just confusing

 

[CheshireDucky]

Hi LAR - Yes, food plays a significant role with your thyroid. I always take my thyroid medication as soon as I get out of bed in the morning with water. I wait at least 30-60 min before having anything, including coffee. Because Coffee/Tea can interact with Synthroid/Levorthroxine.

I was told not to eat for at least an hour after taking my medication. First thing in the morning, on an empty stomach, with no other meds. Wait an hour before eating or drinking anything other than water. I was also told to wait four hours before taking calcium and a few other things.

I take my supplements with dinner so I was clear with that one.

All this new info is really interesting to me. My endo gave me a lot of helpful stuff but didn't think to look into what foods may affect the levothyroxine.

 

[LAR83]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I am so glad I am learning this stuff now. I used to take my Levothyroxine with grapefruit juice and vitamins all at once. Not anymore! Took my Levothyroxine today in the morning for the first time ever and didn't eat anything until over an hour later. I am really planning to change my diet completely. Gluton and soy tend to be bad for a hypothyroid so I am going to try cutting those out of my diet. I also read to stay away from dairy so I am going to try to. I was upset to hear that a bunch of veggies are bad. I even read today that spinach is bad! What the heck is left? But in terms of the veggies we are told to stay away from, I also read it is fine to eat them as long as it is in moderation. So I decided I am not going to go extreme and cut out all Spinach, broccoli, etc... I am just going to make a point to seek out other types of veggies first instead and not eat too much of the kinds that aren't great for my thyroid. Organic is better too, and I will make an effort to eat more organic, but not everything I eat will be organic and that is ok too. I am trying to be healthy but also realistic. Certain meats aren't great either but I am already a vegetarian. That is the only part of this that will actually be easy for me.

 

[TTCfirstovr30]

You will adjust and it will be like second nature to you.

I don't do dairy, haven't in years. I have almond milk with my cereal/coffee and soy is a definite no. I stick with the almond milk, and Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts serves it so SCORE!

I still eat veggies like Spinach and Broccoli, Spinach 2x a week and Broccoli 1x a week. Honestly, I should be eating more veggies, but come up short.

Jicama is great, you can use it to substitute chips and can dip the Jicama in Guacamole. I switch out white potatoes for sweet potatoes. And I eat a lot of fish, I am not a big meat eater.

 

[LAR83]

Thanks Ttc! I don't like milk and prefer almond milk anyway, but I love cheese. I cut coffee out of my life a few months ago and drink noncaffinated tea instead. You said you see a nutritionist right? I am thinking of going to see one because I realized this googling stuff is not going to cut it. Some sites will say certain foods are good for your thyroid and other websites say the exact same foods are bad for your thyroid, so I am left pretty confused. I am glad you said it will become like second nature bc right now eating healthy and excersing definitely are not second nature to me. But if it can mean helping my depression and fertility I can't not try it.

 

[LAR83]

delete

 

[Gagrlinpitt]

I also found during my research that thyroid issues are related to anxiety and depression...

 

[Hopeful.89]

i am to start synthroid next week, and looking forward to hopefully feeling normal again. So far i'm 8 dpo and i doubt this is my month i just havent been feeling optimistic with the spotting i had early on in my cycle near ovulation, i've been taking OPK as well just to make sure my body doesnt do something weird, so far i've gotten a pretty dark line, then less colored lines now a bit more color, so i'm going to stop taking them lol it's just confusing

I am sure the synthroid will have you feeling more like yourself in a few weeks! It is amazing how one little pill can improve your overall health so drastically. The thyroid is responsible for so much and affects so many other bodily functions!

Hopefully my doctor will be prescribing to me on Thursday to get back on Synthroid and we can both get our BFP's in May or June!

We are going to start trying preseed again this cycle to, AF arrived early for me so I am right at the beginning of my cycle.

 

[heaveneats]

i am to start synthroid next week, and looking forward to hopefully feeling normal again. So far i'm 8 dpo and i doubt this is my month i just havent been feeling optimistic with the spotting i had early on in my cycle near ovulation, i've been taking OPK as well just to make sure my body doesnt do something weird, so far i've gotten a pretty dark line, then less colored lines now a bit more color, so i'm going to stop taking them lol it's just confusing

I am sure the synthroid will have you feeling more like yourself in a few weeks! It is amazing how one little pill can improve your overall health so drastically. The thyroid is responsible for so much and affects so many other bodily functions!

Hopefully my doctor will be prescribing to me on Thursday to get back on Synthroid and we can both get our BFP's in May or June!

We are going to start trying preseed again this cycle to, AF arrived early for me so I am right at the beginning of my cycle.

i tried pre-seed, it was very good, felt nice and natural, didnt make a difference TTC wise but i know for some people it has

 

[LAR83]

I got my TSH levels back today and they were 1.46. I was pretty excited because, from what I have read, that sounds like a good number for conceiving. I was planning to cancel my IUI if I had anything over 2, so I am happy I will still be able to do the IUI this cycle. The nurse told me that my levels were 1.89 in January, 3.5 in March (I could have sworn the nurse told me previously that it was over 5; maybe I remembered incorrectly), and then 1.46 in April. I am still not sure what made them jump after being stable for years. It could have been because I started drinking so much grapefruit juice with my meds, but I also have a feeling that I had a CP. I had spotting right around implantation, dizzy spells that lasted for hours (very unusual), and a late period. I was reading that TSH levels tend to jump up dramatically right after conception, so it's really important to detect pregnancy ASAP when you have hypothyroidism and then increase medication. I've been worried that my levels will jump up too high and cause a CP before I get a chance to confirm pregnancy and increase my medication. I am trying to relax (stress is bad for the thyroid too!), make some lifestyle changes, and leave the rest in God's hands. There are a lot of great success stories after all, so clearly it is possible.

 

[TTCfirstovr30]

I agree LAR, try not to stress. When it happens it happens.

Also, I didn't increase my dosage of thyroid medication until about 4/5 weeks, so don't stress too much about that. The doctors will know what to do. When they check your HCG for pregnancy they can also check your thyroid levels at the same time to see where you are at.

Fx'ing for you this cycle.