37 and still trying

[Dsolo370]

I'm 37 years old and I have hypothyroidism.  My husband and I have been trying to conceive for 3 years now with no luck.  My health is good otherwise. Can hypothyroidism make it this difficult to conceive?  Does anyone have any tips?

[gimel]

Hypothyroidism can definitely have an unwanted effect.  It depends on how severe the hypothyroidism is. You can find many references to this on the 'net.  
It would be very helpful to members in trying to give you a better answer, if you will please post your thyroid test results and reference ranges and also describe any other symptoms you have that might be related to being hypo.

[dawnangela]

definitely it can..it took me ten years to conceive my daughter..make sure you levels are to where they should be.get tested every eight weeks while trying to make sure..not saying it will be that long for you i went for years knowing i had this but could not get treated properly, hence one child and was very angry at doctors for this..dont let up on getting your thyroid at its best for a better chance..dawn

[efd]

ABSOLUTLY!!!!! I had the same problem. I finally concieved at 35 and guess what TWINS!!!! My thryroid was bad for a long time but all the test were normal. I finally saw an endrocronolgist who siad that because my ranges were high normal it meant there was a functional problem. She performed an iodine uptake test where they inject iodine into your bloodstream,draw blood every twenty minutes to see what yur thyroid does and can you believe it, MY THYROID WAS DEAD!!!!! Apparently the Pituitary gland was fooling all the blood test making it look like my thyroid was fuctioning. God! To think I went years and years undiagnosed. Everyone,please if you suspect you have a thyroid problem for God's sakes,don't see a general practitioner go to an Endocrinologist who is trained

[gimel]

Sounds like yet another case where the doctor was relying solely on TSH, a pituitary hormone,  and not checking the actual thyroid hormones.  You are right to expect that an Endo would be a better bet for being a good thyroid doctor; however, many of them specialize in diabetes and many others are firm believers in the "Immaculate TSH Belief", which frequently gets in the way of effective relief of symptoms.  The ideal type of doctor for thyroid problems, in my opinion, is one that will listen to your symptoms and test and adjust the actual, biologically active thyroid hormones (FT3 and FT4) with whatever meds are required to alleviate those symptoms.  There are many non-Endo doctors that are good thyroid doctors, you just have to search for them.  

[Dsolo370]

Thank you all for the helpful advice.  I will be making an appointment with an endocrinologist.  That is really scary to think about going all that time to find out your thyroid is dead.

[gimel]

Two thing came to mind.  First, do you have lab test results and reference ranges from past tests that you can post and let us see what has been going on there?  Second, when you go to an endo, be aware that that doesn't guarantee a good thyroid doctor.  Many of them specialize in diabetes.  Many of them subscribe to the "Immaculate TSH Belief" and don't want to pay much attention to your symptoms and your active thyroid hormone levels (FT3 and FT4).  Before I would consider going to yet another doctor I would call and ask his nurse a couple of questions.  The main thing I would want to know is whether the doctor is willing to treat symptoms by testing and adjusting the biologically active thyroid hormones ( FT3 and FT4) with whatever meds are required until symptoms are alleviated.  If yes to that then I would ask if the doctor is willing to prescribe medications other than synthetic T4.  If the answers are what you want to hear, then you can have reasonable confidence going to that doctor.  
If you don't have a good thyroid doctor in mind, you might try posting a new message and asking if any members have a recommendation for a good thyroid doctor in your area?  If so, ask them to send it by Private Message, so we don't upset any of the Med Help folks.  

[TamraW]

Get these labs and post them here:
TSH
FT3
FT4
TGab
TPOab

Many hypos don't feel well unless our FT3/4 are in the top 1/3 of the range. I gave birth two months early to a beautiful baby girl. The docs couldn't figure out why I'd gone into early labor. No doctor ever tested me for thyroid problems. I realize now that my thryoid probably caused my premature delivery. With proper medication, hypothyroid women can conceive and deliver healthy babies.

:) Tamra