450 TSH and Pregnant!

[ZineAthena]

My daughter is 15.  She was diagnosed two years ago with Hypothyroidism.  Unfortunately, making her take the medicine has been a battle.  If my memory serves me correctly, her TSH levels when first diagnosed was around 120.  We were told that they highest should not be more than 4.  They told her that they needed her to level out on her medication before they could run the tests to figure out what may be causing it.  So we have been struggling for two years but she has been taking her medicine for the most part.  However, she goes through spurts of not taking her medicine for sometimes a month at a time.  I can't shove them down her throat, so I just have to fight with her on it.  Well, along with Hypothyroidism, she was also diagnosed with extreme depression and bi-polar disorder.  I have had a sinking feeling since this whole thing started that if she would just take her medicine, we may find that these mental diseases would level out.  Well, now we have another major issue.  Well, a couple to be exact.  My daughter and I just found out she is pregnant.  I know, before you guys start harping on me about my 15 year old being pregnant, I already know, and there is nothing you can tell me that would make me feel any worse.  On top of that, they also have discovered that her level is now at a 450.  Her doctor actually told her that she should be a fat pig who can't walk or talk.  He is completely baffled by her. She is skinny, and shows no signs of slipping into a coma.  He has referred us to a endo.  And we have our first appointment tomorrow.  Yesterday,when we found out her levels (they checked twice) we got a phone call after we got home for her to come in immediately for an ultra sound on her thyroids.  We don't have the results back yet, but they have also made an emergency appointment in another city as none is available here until Tuesday.  My fear, I have read that it can harm the baby.  My fear, that there is something terribly wrong with my daughter.  My fear, they tell her she will have to abort, and I loose her all together as she is such a fragile girl.

[Barb135]

Make sure you are getting copies of all her lab work, for your records.  Each time I get thyroid blood work, I note on the report, my medication(s), dosage(s) and any symptoms I'm having.  That way, I have a running record of the levels, at which I felt best. These levels, then become my "target".

Hopefully, your daughter's counselor and psych will know how important it is for your daughter to her medications on a regular basis, so will be able to convince her to do that.  

I wish all the best for your daughter and her baby.

[ZineAthena]

Wow... I appreciate the great support!  My daughter posted a similar question on Yahoo questions, and immediately they began to trash her.  I was almost afraid to post.  We unfortunately do not have any other lab results to post.  It sounds strange, because we have known about this for so long, I can't believe they wouldn't have tested her already.  We have new insurance, and new doctors now, so hopefully we will be heading in the right direction, as I have already heard about the pituitary gland and the auto immune deficiency, they want to test her for all that.  As far as her ultra sound on her thyroid, they said it was normal.  Thank goodness.  They are concerned about the baby.  And want to retest her in a month.  The Endo did not seem as alarmed as our doctor.  And said if she started to take her medicine regularly, she should be okay, and possibly the baby too.    She is excited and she is scared about the pregnancy.  She is considering adoption, but if I know her, she wouldn't be able to fallow through with it.  I truly appreciate all the information, and have begun a diary of my own for her medically.  Last summer she got herself into a world of trouble with the Juvenal court.  But it turned out to be a blessing as they have set her up with a counselor and a psych as well as the probation.  It has proved to be mostly beneficial for her.  Thanks again, I feel much better, and more armed to see the doctor the next time we go.

[rach7612]

Your girl is under influence of serious hormonal imbalances - which now include all that comes along with pregnancy. Her behavior is not a result of bad parenting and there are lab reports to prove it.

Hypothyroid during pregnancy greatly increases the chance of miscarriage. In fact, I can't believe she was able to get pregnant with such a severe thyroid disturbance which usually causes infertility! I think her body is more resilient than is given credit for. Regardless, no one wants to take any chances that her baby will be okay under these conditions. What's her thoughts on the baby? Is she excited? Depressed? Scared? That will influence her cooperativeness in regards to taking her medication.

Has she been examined for any pituitary gland issues or had further thyroid panels? If her pituitary gland is having problems instead of her thyroid, it seems possible she is actually hypERthyroid - if her TSH is errantly telling her thyroid to produce more and more hormones even though her body is already making enough.

[Barb135]

Depression and other mental issues often accompany hypothyroidism, so it's possible that if your daughter took her medication regularly, the mental issues would be alleviated.

Do you have any labs you could post, other than the the TSH?  They should have done at least a Free T3 and Free T4, as well.  TSH is a pituitary hormone and does not adequately reflect actual Thyroid function.  FT3 and FT4 are the actual thyroid hormones, with FT3 being the one actually used by the cells; FT4 must be converted to FT3 prior to use.  If you have results for these, please post them, along with the reference ranges, which vary from lab to lab, so must come from her own report.  

They should also have done antibody tests to determine if your daughter has an autoimmune thyroid disease, such as Hashimoto's Thyroiditis or Graves Disease.  Hashimoto's is most commonly associated with being hypo, but patients often have periods of hyper, along with it.  Graves is most often associated with hyper.  

The antibody tests you need to get are Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPOab) and Thyroglobulin Antibodies (TGab) to test for Hashi's; and Thyroid Stimulating Immunoglobulin to test for Graves. While it's rare, some people do have antibodies for both.

Babies must have an adequate amount of thyroid hormones to insure proper growth and development.  If your daughter does not take her medication and get her levels stabilized, she may do great harm to her baby.  

[Barb135]

Depression and other mental issues often accompany hypothyroidism, so it's possible that if your daughter took her medication regularly, the mental issues would be alleviated.

Do you have any labs you could post, other than the the TSH?  They should have done at least a Free T3 and Free T4, as well.  TSH is a pituitary hormone and does not adequately reflect actual Thyroid function.  FT3 and FT4 are the actual thyroid hormones, with FT3 being the one actually used by the cells; FT4 must be converted to FT3 prior to use.  If you have results for these, please post them, along with the reference ranges, which vary from lab to lab, so must come from her own report.  

They should also have done antibody tests to determine if your daughter has an autoimmune thyroid disease, such as Hashimoto's Thyroiditis or Graves Disease.  Hashimoto's is most commonly associated with being hypo, but patients often have periods of hyper, along with it.  Graves is most often associated with hyper.  

The antibody tests you need to get are Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPOab) and Thyroglobulin Antibodies (TGab) to test for Hashi's; and Thyroid Stimulating Immunoglobulin to test for Graves. While it's rare, some people do have antibodies for both.

Babies must have an adequate amount of thyroid hormones to insure proper growth and development.  If your daughter does not take her medication and get her levels stabilized, she may do great harm to her baby.  

[ducky406]

First- having a daughter who got pregnant at 15 doesn't mean you are a bad mom. My sister was sexually active at 11, pregnant by 14 and into drugs at 15.. but my mom is the best. She just couldn't control my sister or convince her to seek help. She may have been able to do more, but she is still an amazing parent. Ignore all the side looks- they're not living your life and have no right to judge you.

As far as your daughter goes, if she doesn't take her meds she will probably have a miscarriage or need to have an abortion or have a severely sick baby/body. Without treatment I don't know if her body would be up to the challenge of carrying a baby to term without a lot of risks. So yes, they may ask her to abort but that will be done in the safest way possible and afterwords she should be eligible for counseling if you're worried about the psychological aspects.

I wish I could give you more encouragement, but it sounds like you're doing what you can. And you never know if her thyroid/endo issue gets sorted out maybe her mental issues might balance out. (I know my aunt went completely off the deep end because of hypothyroidism, she had to be put into a hospital under close watch for a few weeks.) Do your best to have a little hope. In the mean time- see if she would consider talking to a counselor or psychiatrist. Heck even if you could convince her to keep a diary, with the complete trust that no one else will read it, it could help.