pegnant with a hypothyroid

[mnm11]

so i am almost 28 and i have a 7 year old son and when i was pregnant with him my thyroid went bad. i have miscarried only once and have learned recently that this is normal with a thyroid condition. i just wanted to know if i have any real hope at a normal pregnancy??

[mnm11]

ok, got my results back i am at a 30.1 they uped the levothyroxin to 250 mg

[mnm11]

i take levothyroxine now. have for almost 7 years. i just had blood work done but i think it was just for my tsh. waiting on results now

[Super_sally888]

Hi,

normal pregnancy is definitely possible if your thyroid levels are properly adjusted.

For pregnancy, it is very important that FT3 and FT4 are at least in the upper 1/2 of the reference range.

If you do get pregnant  you need to have FT3 and FT4 tested immediately.  Your meds should be adjusted to keep your FT3 and FT4 towards the top of the reference range (in pregnancy normal range for thyroid should actually be higher than the 'normal reference range - so targeting the top of the given range is ok).

During pregnancy thyroid levels should be tested every 4 weeks.  TSH should only be paid attention to if it is high (meaning more thyroid hormone is needed), but otherwise adjust meds based on FT3 and FT4.

If your FT4 is at a good level, but your FT3 is too low (ie conversion issues) you may also have trouble getting pregnant.  In such a case a T3 and T4 med could be needed.  However, in my experience Doctors only want to give pregnant patients T4 med (levothyroxine).

[gimel]

Medication dosage is irrelevant.  It is all a matter  of getting your FT3 and FT4 levels high enough to relieve symptoms.  Many patients find that taking large doses of T4 results in inadequate conversion of T4 to T3.  The resulting low levels of FT3 then cause hypo symptoms.  If doctors don't test for FT3, they never find this.

If you want some good insight into clinical treatment, this is a good link.  It is a letter written by a good thyroid doctor for patients that he is consulting with from a distance.  The letter is sent to the PCP of the patient to help guide treatment.

http://hormonerestoration.com/files/ThyroidPMD.pdf

[mnm11]

gimel, i have never even been to a endo. my reg doc for the past 7 years has been treating it with meds. he even stopped testing unless i call him. i didnt realize how in depth it was until the other day. i got to lookin on line myself. i guess i need to move forward on my own with a new doc, at the same time my ob said that as long as the tsh is fine then there should be no problems. i take 150 mcg levo i dont even know if thats a lot....

[gimel]

Being a male, I have no direct experience with being pregnant, but I have learned much from the lady members on the Forum.  The answer to your question is definitely so.  It is all a matter of getting properly tested and medicated.  Unfortunately too many doctors do not really understand the basics of thyroid testing and treatment.

A good thyroid doctor will treat a hypo patient clinically by testing and adjusting the biologically active thyroid hormones, Free T3 and Free T4 (not the same as Total T3 and Total T4), as necessary to relieve symptoms, without being constrained by resultant TSH levels.  Symptom relief should be all important, not just test results, and especially not just TSH.

As a start, please post your thyroid test results and reference ranges shown on the lab report so that members can assess the adequacy of testing and results.