Weight gain and etc.,

[BigRed78]

I was born without a thyroid gland. I have been taking a thyroid pill my whole life. As a child I was very thin, I could eat whatever I wanted and not gain a pound. After finding out that I was pregnant in 2000 I of course gained a lot of weight but I only lost twenty pounds or so after having her. I weighed 209 lbs when I gave birth after a month I was down to 18olbs, at one point I was 165lbs but then I gained it all back and my thyroid levels have shown to be low, I think since I had my daughter. My current doctor tests my thc levels all the time and whatever else it is he has to test when it comes to my thyroid and every time he says, "It is like you don't have a metabolism, it does not even read on the charts." What does this mean? I want to lose weight so bad but I feel it is impossible because every diet I have tried does not work and I'm afraid that it is because of what my thyroid is doing to my body. I also had to talk to my gyno because I did not get my period for six months. I took many pregnancy tests and my doctor finally gave me a prescription for pagesterone to help start it. After taking the pills, I still have not started. I am worried that this will get worse and I was wondering if there is anyone out there that can help me or at least give me some advice, I have been dealing with this for a very long time and would like to resolve these problems. Please Help

[BigRed78]

Thank you for all of your advise. I will have to write all of this down and ask my doctor about these things. Thank you for your help.

[Jenipeni]

Hi BigRed78
Sorry to read about the difficulties you are experiencing.  
Did they increase your dose of thyroid medication while you were pregnant?  It is normal for meds to be increased from 25-50% during pregnancy to accomodate the growing baby and the extra workload your body is under.  After pregnancy you should be able to go back to your pre-pregnancy dose (or so I'm told).  

What is your current TSH?  A TSH around 1.0 is recommended for fertility sucess.

It is quite likely that you could have another metabolic syndrome happening. Have you heard of PCOS?  PCOS = Poly cystic Ovarian Syndrome, unfortunately it is a very common metabolic/endocrine disorder in women.  It often occurs in overweight women and can result in menstrual irregularity and annovulation (cessation or irregular ovulation) which can cause fertility issues.  A major feature of PCOS is insulin resistance, which is basically a pre-diabetes, this factor contributes majorly to why it is so hard to lose weight, basically your insulin is not working as effectively as it should be.  BUT you could just be insulin resistant and not have PCOS too - this is why we must rely on the doctors.  
Here's a couple of websites with more information - BUT don't diagnose yourself, if you are concerned and think this could affect you please see your doctor.

http://www.managingpcos.org.au/

http://www.posaa.asn.au/

http://www.pcosupport.org/

http://www.pcos.net/

In any case, it doesn't really take a blood test to tell if you are insulin resistant.  Do you store a lot of weight around your middle/belly?  If so, the chances are you are probably insulin resistant.  The good news is that you will do well to follow a Diabetic type diet following the Low Glycaemic Index (Low GI) as insulin resistant people do not process carbohydrates very well.

Exercise is a very important key - it actually improves insulin resistance, so do it regularly!

Is your current doctor an endocrinologist (hormone specialist)?  If not I would specifically ask for a referral to a reproductive endocrinologist.  

Best wishes!
~Jen