The one month I was supposed to NOT get pregnant...

[NDH]

And here I sit holding two positive pregnancy tests in my hand. I am in disbelief. I have had three miscarriages since November and was supposed to be trying not to get pregnant for a few months while I correct some health issues.

Furthermore I suspect I may have Hashimoto's thyroiditis which could well be the reason for my recurrent losses. I will find out tomorrow. In the meantime I have already made diet changes which should help, but I'm freaking out that I haven't done enough yet to make an impact on my overall health yet and I will just end up losing this baby too.

I'm also spotting almost black blood its so dark brown which could just be old blood but it doesn't bode well with being a successful pregnancy...

 

[Blu10]

Good luck hun, what will be will be. I hope this is a sticky bean x

 

[GingerPanda]

I have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis too, and two previous miscarriages, and it looks like there's a lot of misinformation floating around about it out there.

Hashimoto's does NOT cause miscarriages. The antibodies only attack the thyroid, they don't attack anything else. My endocrinologist has yet to find any compelling study that states otherwise.

What causes the miscarriages is the hypothyroidism caused by Hashimoto's. If your TSH is too high for too long, it can cause miscarriage or other problems with the baby. That's why I had two previous losses.

As long as they start you on a good dose of levothyroxine or Synthroid to bring your TSH down, you might be able to save your pregnancy if it isn't already lost.


I was on levothyroxine for one month and went from not ovulating on my own and having tons of health issues to being totally healthy, ovulating, and I "accidentally" got knocked up! And because my endo was super on top of my TSH, I'm now happily 17 weeks pregnant with a little girl.



Having one autoimmune disease can make you more likely to have another, so your case may be different from mine. But I would get a doctor to check your TSH and get you on levothyroxine/Synthroid ASAP.

 

[NDH]

That's what I thought (even though I worded it different) but it's good to hear confirmation from someone with experience

I got my blood results back and my thyroid function is normal (1.41) so that's a relief. However that's all she checked when I specifically said I wanted thyroid antibodies checked as well. So it's still possible I could have Hashimoto's and just have a functioning thyroid right now which is the important part. I'll just carry on with the diet changes my naturopath recommended anyway and continue seeing her.
Starting progesterone as well to cover my bases and then just hoping for the best.
The rest f my bloodwork that was done for recurrent miscarriages came back fine so if it was a string of bad luck then I'm definitely due for some good luck now.

 

[SweetPea3200]

Glad you got good news! Hoping for a happy and healthy 9 months for you. Keep us updated

 

[GingerPanda]

It could be that your thyroid is on the edge. Pregnancy increases the demand on your thyroid, so your TSH will need to be monitored monthly during pregnancy to make sure your thyroid can handle the extra strain.

Studies have also shown that treating with therapeutic doses of levothyroxine can prevent hypothyroidism in women with Hashi's that aren't currently hypo.

Your TSH level right now it's okay. My endocrinologist likes to keep mine at our below 1, and my blood is drawn at the beginning of every month to make sure I don't need a higher dose.



Last thing is that you should be having your TSH checked regularly if you do test positive for TPO Antibodies (Hashi's). My TSH was checked 4 times last year and was "normal" except for the last time when it shot up to 89.88. Turns out my thyroid had just been trying on the edge and totally crashing out during my pregnancies, which killed them at 8 and 6 weeks. Then in December it finally died, and that's when I got the abnormal result. He started me on 100mcg of levothyroxine, and my TSH went to 0.56 in one month. Two weeks later, I was pregnant without fertility drugs. Something four different doctors told me would never happen for me. It works fast!

 

[GingerPanda]

I forgot to ask. Why do you think you have Hashi's?

 

[NDH]

Sorry I never noticed your question before.
My naturopath thinks its likely and based on my symptoms and my family history it seems like a strong possibility.

 

[GingerPanda]

Fair enough! If I was your endocrinologist and you tested positive for TPO Antibodies, I would put you on a low dose of thyroid medicine, even if you aren't hypothyroid yet. It could prevent the hypothyroidism from developing. But make sure they continue to monitor your TSH levels during pregnancy, and try to keep them as close to 1 or less as possible.