Hi Girls,
Just wanted to start a thread of those of us who are TTC and have Thyroid disease.
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Hi Girls,
Just wanted to start a thread of those of us who are TTC and have Thyroid disease.
My hypo story:
Diagnosed with Hypothyroid w hashimotos (meaning thyroid antiobodies that destroy thryroid tissue and more likely to be permanent if have hashis) when DD was about 1. Had no energy and could not think clearly.
Took Thyroid extract for a while, felt so much better. But actually feel back to myself now am on Thyroxine and I didn't think it would make any diff but it did.
Changed to new endo, v serios but v good, and started taking Thyroxine as was easier as better know with TTC. Started on 100micrograms at night in Nov. TSH = 2, endo said he wanted it around 1, so increase to 150mcg in Dec. Took that in morning w breakfast as hated taking it at night!
TSH now = .88 (perfect) Free T4 =16 in high part of range (good), Free T3 = 4 (lower part of range but OK).
I have been worried about my antibody levels as I have had 5 biochemical pregnacies last year and thought that might be the problem. My levels were in high 3-400s untreated,and 40 and 130 before Thyroxine and now 18 and 43. Endo is not worried about these levels.
He says that you would expect to have an elevated level of ATAs (antithyroid antibodies), as I have had the disease. Similar to if you had measles, then you will always have measles antibodies.
Still my body, so I am still taking a herbal prep from np to try to decrease the antibodies.
If anyone has seen a reproductive endo, would be very interested in what they say.
over and out!
From research I have done on the internet (which is not as good as a good endo) and from a paper the FS gave me, the ATA's cause a problem where the Thyroid issue was not treated, but they didn't make any difference to fertility where the thyroid problem was treated.
Not sure if it is the ATAs (I suspect probably not now) or just being over 40 that is my problem. Could be something else, eg NK cells. Easier to focus on the ATAs, as I can't do anything about being over 40 except lie about my age!!!
Thanks for starting this thread hun!
I was dx after DD was born, and am currently on 50mcgm/day of thyroxine. I just had my bloods done again and get my results Monday. I have felt for a long time that i'd benefit from an increase but my last GP insisted i was ok because my bloods were "normal". My TSH, last time it was measured, was 4.7. 0.5-5 is normal in the UK.
I'm going to call for my results on Monday and if my TSH is above 2.5 i'm going to ask to have my doseage increased but i'm nervous because i just don't know what the GP will say about it all.
We're hoping to ttc in the summer and from what i've read it'd be wise to get my TSH to about 1 before ttc. I haven't had my antibodies checked since i was first dx and in some ways i don't think i want to. Maybe if ttc proves to be a problem then i will have them re-done...
Bx
Hi hoobley,
Hey so cool to get a reply! The guidelines vary and have been revised down to 0.3 - 3.5 here.
Doesn't take long to change blood levels, about 4-6 weeks.
Yes I have read and my Endo Dr H recommended TSH = 1 as ideal. I know GPs do Thyroxine in UK, but maybe worth seeing an endocrinologist? Much more specialised, but probably expensive. Only cost me $188 here which was great. Yes you can live with a TSH of 4.7 but its no good forTTC (in my humble opinion).
I feel better, stronger, more robust emotionally going from 2 to .88, (100 to 150).
We can only get thyroxine in 50,100, and 200 pills here, so I have to take a 100 and a 50 each day.
let me know what your test is...
Don't worry aboutthe antibodies, just get the the TSH right (just ask me I'll tell you what to do!!!)
Also what is to stop you from taking 2 x 50s if that's what you want to do, then get tested by different GP!! I know I'll stop at nothing.
Hi girls
I dont know how to paste journals, but there are a few threads with various thyroid conditions .. go to the main page, and scroll all the way down to health etc, you will find them in there, I have Graves, and I found a thread in that section ,.. I think... Just thought I would let you know as there is heaps of info for you
HTH
Believe me i know MASSES on this topic! LOL.
My last GP was ok with adjusting me up to a point, but once my TSH got down to the 3's (3.7 was my lowest every reading so far) he stopped upping my dose, even when it crept back up into the 4's. I would have to self-refer to an endocrinologist, which would be free but could take anything up to a year to get an appointment. My sister has Hashi's, PCOS, Endometriosis, is morbidly obese (BMI is about 46 i think), type 2 diabetes and hypertension and even she is still waiting on her endo appointment to come through. My BMI at the nurses office was 25.5, but i think that's mainly because my posture and the fact that i'd just been on a longish run meant i was measured 3cm shorter than i actually am, and even with that very modestly high BMI the nurse basically dismissed me. What concerns me is that for a year i maintained my weight and then in the last year 6kg has crept on without me changing anything by way of diet or exercise. My last GP also dismissed my weight as a concern. They don't seem to get it - yes, ok, i maintain a healthy weight, but i am exercising 6x a week here guys! I bust my gut to stay this way and my weight is STILL creeping up! I feel like banging my head on the desk and asking if i have to be obese before they will consider treating me!
I'm hopeful for my new GP, i have reems of studies and articles to take and wave at them if they aren't willing to listen. Unfortunately the "normal" TSH range in the UK has apparently just been changed to 0.5-10! So goodness knows what will happen. As such i'd just like to get my TSH under 2.5.
I have considered adjusting my medication myself, but my family history is crazy with a lot of heart and circulatory problems there, and i'm at higher risk of fibrilations and strokes because of that, so i don't want to risk going hyper without proper supervision. As such i feel ok, a little heavy in my limbs, a little tired, a little puffy round my eyes, but not too bad. When i'm really hypo i get arthritic-type pains in my knuckles when i wake in the mornings and i don't have that at the moment.
I am thinking i need to get even stricter with my food because clearly even the hypothyroid cannot magic fat out of thin air! ;)
Bx
Gosh hoobley,
What a mine field. your poor sister, no doubt the hypothyroid is not helping her weight at all, and then the weight contributes to all those other problems. She's probably pretty depressed about it all too. Another auto immune condition.
Good on you for keeping yourself in good shape, wow that is such a committment. its much harder for us to get it off. I can do it if I try really hard, but it is not much fun. Mary Shomon's diet book is quite good, I assume you've seem her website. I found her books more helpful to be honest. Same kind of diet for PCOS as far as I can tell.
I think it would take a lot to get you into hyper, but yes the scary side is scary. You probably know more about it than me or than the GP at this point! I hope the new GP works out.
I would self medicate to get weight off, and to give myself best chance of another baby, to get to TSH between 1 and 2, but then I'm pretty bolshy now! I have started to go to different docs to try to get a few that will do it my way. I try very hard to listen to them and not tell them what to do, but as you can probably tell that is quite difficult for me!!!
I think I'm about 28-29BMI, I am hoping that my new tsh levels will help with this over the next few years. IVF is no time to diet, I eat pretty healthy, but bit too much sugar and choc and need to get back to exercise.
Most GP's don't get it, they have hardly any training in endocrinology, and really don't understand putting on weight for no reason, or the devastation of miscarriage, unless it has happened to them, and the range recomendations certainly aren't helping. Might as well go on the list to see an endo, or even ring a few and get on a few waiting lists now, you might get a sympathetic secretary/nurse who can put you up the list, plenty of them have problems too!! Anyway at least if you are on a list it will come around eventually, you can then decide whether to go or not. Are there any private endos that you can pay to see? Anyway, I feel very lucky to have found a good endo through one of girls at mother group, she had a terrible one first. Perhaps you should fly to Aus for a holiday and come and see mine!!! He even gives us a few blood test srcipts and says just ring him when do it so he can ring back to advise medication change. how good is that!
I do get arthritic sort of pains in my feet and a little twinge elbows and knees, but not hypo at the moment, might be just cause I've been wearing thongs (flip flops) for last 2 months! I also had plantar fasciitis (sp?) in my feet before Dx.
Gosh I'm so bossy!!! Just ask me, I'll tell you what to do!
hey I just noticed our DD's are same age!!
SamandPoppy, Hoobley and to all the lurkers (i hope theres some!):
This is my stupid lil thyroid's history since March 08 (when it was discovered i have hypo)
TSH was 6.9 (totally untreated - found via blood tests after 12mths TTC)
Started on 50pg of Oxoxine :TSH 3.6 ; 2.7 ; 4.9 ; 4.4 (monthly readings)
Started on 100pg as i went to my GP unhappy with levels - she called an endo who was friends of hers over the phone at consult and endo advised aim for between 1-2 and i might need to get up to 100 or 150pg to meet this.
On 100pg : 0.5 (fell pregnant) ; 0.3
When miscarried gyno/obs advised TSH too low and lowered dosage to 75pg. (However from the reasearch ive down in the first Trimester the TSH can be as low as 0.3 to be meeting bubs needs)
75pg: TSH 0.8 ; 3.4 (At this level i had consult with gyno/obs who disregarded my concerns about it being too high - he thinks it only needs to be below 4) ; next month 5.0!!!!
I thought if i ever got a reading that bad i would break down and cry - but i was taken over by fury about how badly my thryoid is behaving and being treated.
I asked receptionist at QFG to actually put reading in front of gyno/obs and make him take a look. He called and advised to increase dosage back to 100pg - which is what we tried months ago but only for 2 months as he then thought it was getting too low.
What i have found is when i start on a dosage it does go down but then comes partway back up and stabalises and that if i give 100pg a good go for at least a couple of months that yeah it may go a lil on the hyper side but then come back up to hopefully between 1-2!!!!
I have an endo appointment in Brisvegas late FEB and yes SamandPoppy i have compiled 3 pages of questions already along with all my research from American Journals of Endo and various other worldwide journals and case studies i want to be so informed so i can ask quality questions - may nothing stand in the way of me falling pregnant and maintaining the pregnancy!!!!
I'm sure we have all had enough of this TTC crap and would be just plain naive to go with one person's opinion on how i should be treated - no matter what that persons quals are from before i was even born!!!
I see how busy my gyno/obs is and how we are squeezed in for an appointment and then squeezed out and called away to deliver a bub, and how the quals on his wall are from before i was born and wonder just how much time he has to spend towards reading journals and case studies from the last few years and keeping up to date with a disease that is somewhat related to his speciality.......
Well thats my whinge - promise il make my next post more upbeat!
My you TSH be low :dance:,
Mammawannabe
Firstly SamandPoppy - you clever girl...you did the thread..well done..!! :dance:
I have Hashimoto's and PCOS. Have had it for years. Took a while to get the Thyroxine right and am on 150mc - that was after being on 100 for a few years..then i started questioning my levels.
Am actually seeing the Endo in about 2wks and am having a BT .. so will be checking the levels again thoroughly.
SamandPoppy - may I ask if you have had the test for NK cells yet??
Hi Girls , so exciting to get a few posts in here this being my first and all!!
Wouldloveabub - thanks for that will have a look!
MummaW - you go girl, get that treatment you deserve - good i mean!! I was Naiive for a year with one mode of treatment and now have changed am feeling much better for it, so happens to best of us IYKWIM. Interesting about dose going down a bit then up, will have to keep an eye on that.
MsPink -Thanks!! re NK cells, and have been thinking about it. am in TWW for last FET right now, but maybe will go to Sydney for the day for the test. My FS knows Dr S, so will be further questions about it when I see him next wed.
HI SamandPoppy and the other ladies on here with similar thyroid problems, my story is fairly similar however I only found in December that I have hashimotos hypothyroid condition when after 3 recurrent m/cs I decided to get a whole heap of blood tests done, all of them came back normal except for my thyroid (mind you I did have the thyroid tested a few times with normal results) anyway my levels came at 11mul and they should be in the 0.40-4.00 range according to the docs here. So in the meantime I had already made an appoitment to see Dr Gavin Sacks (endocrinologist who specialises in recurrent miscarriages and HOBBLY HE DOES DO INTERNATIONAL PHONE CONSULTS, CHECK OUT HIS WEBSITE...JUST GOOGLE HIS NAME) so he too along with my gp told me to start taking Oraxcin 50mg though he thinks because of my size that I'll probably need to up the dose , which I have done of my own accord am now on 100mg. I always wondered why I could never lose a lot of weight and why it always krept back up, I also have a gastric band which never really helped and IM still 108Kgs, my BMI is around 37 which is high and I need to get it down, so hubby and I are on a diet together he's doing it to support me god luv him!
Anyway thats my story, Dr G said that I should ttc til my levels were down in that range and taking all into consideration my weight and my age I should have a 70% chance of a successful pregnancy, and if I miscarry again he wants to see us both for more blood tests one of which was the NK cells test.
Ok well will keep you informed of how things progress, Im hoping to have my first blood test again after I get back from Brissy in a couple of weeks!
:hello: Samandpoppy--See, I told you I wouldn't forget to post in this thread! :lol: Thanks so much for creating this thread!
A big :hello: to hoobley, wouldloveabubba, mummawannabe, MsPink, and Mannie (a familiar face!). Thanks for sharing your stories!
My story began back in '91/'92. I never even realized that I had a problem... a girl I sat next to in class rudely said to me one day, "WTF is wrong with your neck, do you have a thyroid problem, or something?" She told me that I had a big lump on my neck, which I did, but had never noticed before. I was only a kid in high school at the time, so my mom took me to the dr. and they ran tests, and sure enough, was dx with hyperthyroidism/Grave's Disease. After learning that, things started falling into place.... the tremors I'd been having, increased appetite (my mom told the dr. that she practically had to nail the food down because I would be hungry all the time), sweating even if I was cold, feeling hot all the time, migraines that would make me vomit, my eyes were slightly starting to get puffy--I wouldn't say bulging, but had it not been treated, they would've ended up that way. It was all related to my thyroid... and I had never even heard of a thyroid! So I ended up having radiation... I had to drink iodine... it was weird, especially since I was only 17 at the time! I think that's why I still know so little about it all.... it was all a foreign language when the dr's would talk to me about it! So afterwards they put me on Synthroid, not sure what the beginning dose was, but eventually it ended up being 100mcg, which is still what I take now.
When I was pg with my DS1, my body somehow started producing the thyroid hormone again--which my dr. thought very strange, because the iodine completely killed my thyroid... I should only get the hormone via my pills. Anyhow, had to be completely taken off my meds during my pg'cy with him. Afterwards, back on meds. With DS2, almost 8 years later, I had no change whatsoever in my thyroid levels, I stayed on the 100mcg the whole pg'cy.
So then fast forward to Nov. 2008... moved all our meds from the kitchen cabinet to the bedroom... big mistake because I'm one of those "out of sight, out of mind" people, so I completely blew it! In 6 weeks, I probably took maybe 6 pills--I know, I know, no need to lecture--it was really stupid of me!!! Anyhow, when reading thru the posts in the TTCML thread, Mannie ( ;) ) mentions her findings on her thyroid, which prompted me to do a little research. While reading thru the symptoms of hyperthyroid, I realize that I had been experiencing every one of them daily! Tremors, weight loss--I've lost about 12 lbs. since Nov, sweats, etc. While reading, I also learned that endo's are trying to change what is considered a normal level... did that make sense? I think my normal levels are somewhere around .4, but I'm reading that in order to sustain a pg'cy, it should now be down to at least a .2!! (or something like that... I may have a decimal off, or a missing 0 somewhere! :rofl: )
So I went to my dr. and he gave me a lab slip to check my thyroid levels. He told me to wait 2 weeks since I hadn't been back on my meds for long, so it would make the test inaccurate. So that means I go in this Thursday (which is Fri. for you Aussie girls) for my BT's, and I guess we'll wait and see what happens. Not sure my dr. is willing to lower my dose in an attempt to help TTC, tho, so not sure what's going to happen either way. If there's no change in my dosage, I may have to only take 1/2 my pill in an attempt to lower it on my own. Will keep you posted on how things go.
So there's my story.... thanks again for starting this thread! Looking forward to getting to know you and sharing our continuing stories!
Well it's Monday but i just called my doc to be told that the labs won't be back before 1pm...
I am wondering, can anyone give me links or email me studies or articles justifying keeping TSH low in women ttc? I only have the Endocrine society guidelines and one study, and more would be useful. Either the benefits of supressing TSH to low-normal in general or having TSH low for TTC would be amazing. If anyone needs my email addy just PM and i'll give you it.
Bx
Hoobley--I found this for you, and the link is below--hope it helps!
"The normal TSH level for the control group of pregnant woman without autoimmune thyroid disease? 0.9. A TSH of .9 is a far cry from the so-called "normal" TSH levels of 3 or 4 or 5 that some doctors feel are no impediment whatsoever to getting -- or staying -- pregnant.
My endocrinologist at the time I was trying to get pregnant believed very firmly that most women with a thyroid problem should be maintained at a TSH level of between 1 and 2 in order to help them get pregnant -- and maintain the pregnancy."
Fertility and Thyroid Disease: Frequently Asked Questions About How to Overcome Thyroid-Related Infertility and Get Pregnant When You Have Thyroid Disease / Thyroid Disease Information Source - Articles/FAQs
Thanks Jen!
I notice in the first link you give me the author refers to a 1994 study, does anyone have links to that actual study? I am very wary of presenting Mary Shomon's work to a GP because she is generally recognised as a bit of a crackpot in medical circles. I did hear one endo say to another once (not my endo, when i worked in a hospital) "Well, she's got Shomon's book so now she thinks her twisted ankle is down to her thyroid!" She's not well-regarded by many and though i don't discount her, i don't want to alienate my doctor from the word go, iykwim.
Also i see you have the link to the AACE guidelines. I'm going to bring those up, but TBH i'm not too hopeful on potential impact of that one, since the UK's new clinical guidelines state that the TSH "normal" range is 0.5-10, yes TEN!
Anyway, i got my results over the phone:
TSH: 2.76
fT4: 17.5
I didn't ask for my fT3 because the person telling me the results didn't know what the numbers meant and so i instead arranged to talk to a GP tomorrow.
I'm kind of up in the air about it now because i had kind of decided to go with the conservative TES clinical guideline which states that for pre-diagnosed hypothyroid women who plan to ttc the TSH should be kept at <2.5.
My main issues now are that a) i went for a long run and my legs (finally) didn't feel dead (which for me is a sure sign of being hypo, when my body isn't responding to training) and in fact i finished my run feeling sprightly even, and b) with levels so close to 2.5 i'm not sure i would want to mess with them and risk getting hyper (my TSH level was 16 on nothing, 4.7 on 25mcgm/day and has been 3.8, 2.95 and 2.76 on 50mcgm/day) and having to sort that out again before ttc...
I have a Mirena coil fitted and am pretty sure i'm still O'ing, though that's based on EWCM, not temping or anything. Should i temp/OPK to see if i'm Oing? Lots of people get no AF when they use Mirena but i still do. But then i got AF when hypothyroid, with a big goiter, fully BFing DD 6 weeks after she was born...
LOL...so many questions...
Bx
Hey Hoobley!
I have heaps of links saved to my fav's - i have printed all of the offical ones to take to my endo later this month, incase he tries to disregard my concerns.
Normal TSH
15 Reasons Why Your TSH May Be Fluctuating / Thyroid Disease Information Source - Articles/FAQs
Maternal Hypothyroidism
Thyrolink - TI 1-2000 Hypothyroidism
Chapter 14
eMJA: 5: Diagnosis and management of hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism
http://www.endocrinology.org/endocri...st/057/057.pdf
Thyroid.org: Thyroid Digest July 2003
Thyroid.org: Thyroid Digest - November 2003
SpringerLink - Journal Article
NEJM -- Timing and Magnitude of Increases in Levothyroxine Requirements during Pregnancy in Women with Hypothyroidism
eMJA: Assessment of thyroid function during pregnancy: first-trimester (weeks 9–13) reference intervals derived from Western Australian women
Anti-thyroid antibodies miscarriage and treatment
How do thyroid problems cause infertility issues? - FertilityCommunity.com
http://www.thyroid.org.au/Download/F...0.3%20Hypo.pdf
Subclinical thyroid disease: scientific review and guidelines for diagnosis and management.
I am certain my TSH should be between 1-2 , however im not exactly sure as to why....
Is it that it should be in that range so that when you fall pregnant you have your thryoid level where it should be so the baby is getting all of its needs? As i know in pregnancy the highest your TSH should be is 2.99........so having it consistantly between 1-2 before conception would indicate the thryoid is somewhat under control and will be easy to maintain during pregnancy........although i know most ppl have to increase there oroxine during pregnancy to maintain this level.
OR
does having your TSH between 1-2 actually make you more fertile and increase your chances of pregnancy cos this is where a normal person's TSH would be?
Hey ladies!
Mummawannabe as i understand it the normal TSH of a healthy (non-hypothyroid) woman in the first trimester is about 0.9, and for a hypothyroid woman it's 1.6. ATM there haven't been enough studies done to find out if the TSH has DROPPED due to the pregnancy, or if it is usually lower in these women (unbelieveable i know, but unfortunately more elderly women suffer from hypothyroidism and it's possible that the large-scale studies they HAVE done have been substantially skewed by their relatively higher TSH, which is more common post-menopause...). The Endocrine Society (i printed their PDF) recommend that TSH in women of child-bearing age is kept under 2.5 mainly because from there a 50% doseage adjustment would be sufficient to help keep the woman euthyroid during her pregnancy, whereas if she had TSH of 5, even if the pregnancy was being maintained, it might take a 100% doseage increase to keep her bloods normal-for-pregnancy and she may well suffer from hyperthyroid symptoms from such a massive dose increase.
Anyway, back to me... My GP just called, i've never actually met him, i'm new to his practice, but he's the most senior doctor. He's irish and was very friendly. He told me i was not easy to talk to (in a friendly way, as in "you are challenging me here!") and asked if i was a teacher. LOL! Anyway, he said he is perfectly happy with my bloods in terms of ttc, and that he would have them re-checked when i have the Mirena removed, and has upped me from 50mcgm/day to 75mcgm/day to help with the creeping weight and dead legs. So for now i'm happy :) And i would expect, since my TSH was 2.76, that even that small increase would get me under 2.5 as per endocrine society guidelines.
Bx
Hi
I'm not actually TTC yet, but hope you ladies don't mind me joining in.
I had my thyroid removed nearly two years ago and now technically hypothyroid.
Re levels - the 'normal' ranges are so wide, and hormones so individual, I just 'experiment' to see where I feel better (but watching the blood test results to avoid going to high or low). Even different path labs here have different reference ranges which is a nuisance.
Hoobly - you said your sister has PCOS as well, do you? Even hyper (and I mean undetectable TSH) I gained weight when off the pill, but lost it when on it... all down to PCOS I think.
Hey girls, I'll join you too. ;)
I've been diagnosed with postpartum thyroiditis and have an underactive thyroid ATM (sorry, is that hyper or hypo?)
I have repeat bloods in 3 weeks to see whether I'm to go on thyroxine since we are hoping to TTC#2 this year. :dance::dance:
Question - did anyone lose weight when they went on thyroxine?
Hey marcellus! I'm not actually ttc yet either, just trying to get myself in the best possible health for it ;) WELCOME! My sister has PCOS but she also has Endo and is perimenopausal just now. I'll ask her about the Pill as a possibility. I think she's not allowed it because she is medicated for her high BP and is at increased risk of thrombosis and stroke due to inactivity (due to her weight) and her BP. THanks for the tip though! :)
Hi Shoegal! Welcome! Underactive is hypo (think hypothermia - not warm enough). Some people do lose weight when they commence thyroxine but usually weight gain due purely to the thyroid is modest (5-10kg at most). The main problem with the hypoactive thyroid is that you feel so lacking in energy you tend to DO less. So while it is true that i lost weight when medicated, i would put it down to the fact that i could run more often, for longer, and faster once i was medicated. And if i overeat, medication or not, i gain weight!
Bx
hoobley--Tried finding that 1994 study everywhere! Even went thru the archives for '94 for the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism--there's just like 500 pages to go thru for that year!! :o So, unfortunately, didn't have the time or the energy to go thru 500 pages--I'm sorry! I hope you are able to get your questions answered--keep us posted!
Mummawannabe--Thanks for all the links!
marcellus & Shoegal-- :hello: and :welcome:
Yes - thanks for those links. I'm going to take a look one day when I have time.... I did heaps of research a couple of years ago, but didn't keep track of it all.
I'm planning to steer clear of the pill cause it just means having to muck around with my thyroxine doseage again. I gain weight when I'm hyper cause I eat like a maniac. Tend to eat less when hypo so doesn't tend to have the same effect. Do little exercise either way cause so busy with work and now too sleep deprived...
The TSH at 1-2 sounds right to me too - think I must have read something somewhere.... Mine's generally <1 as on suppression therapy to prevent regrowth of thyroid tissue.
Here's a general question - how do you know that your T4 levels are off? Do you have particular tell-tale signs to suggest you're too high or too low?
Yes and no. I know when i'm going more hypo because when i run my legs are "dead" and i feel like it's the end of the run at the start. Also i feel more tired and like i'm never fully "alert" or "awake" - like i'm sleep deprived even when i'm not. My eyes get a bit puffy and my hair begins to thin slightly at my temples (first place it goes on me). My weight creeps up (but by a kg or 2, nothing dramatic).:
BUT me feeling that way doesn't necessarily mean my fT4 will show up low on a BT. As you know, it can take a month for TSH levels to change in response to T4 dose adjustment, and it can take up to 3 months for the levels to be stable enough to know if the new dose is doing the job. I tend to feel illest around January and July, and i assume that this is when my Hashi's is most active due possibly to other viruses around at those times which activate the autoimmune response.
Bx
Hi Girls,
Welcome every body. Boy am I impressed with the info you know. So great.
Couple of things I have found out recently:
- One aquaintance of mine said that when he starts to get a cold he takes an extra thyroid tablet and that gets rid of it. I'll try this once I'm over the TTC!
- Also was talking to FS today who is has a PHD in immunology (big brain), who said that the level of thyroid antibodies isn't related to the dose of Thyroxine, I had assumed it was.:rolleyes:
Anyway, anyway, sorry this is so long!!
Hi Marcellus - Welcome, welcome. I didn't know thyroid tissue could regrow. Re T4, and also I have read that for younger women, eg childbearing, better to be in the top end of the range for free T4. I can think clearly and remember numbers again when I am good, if that helps. Also more resilient emotionally.
Shoegal - re weight, it may help a bit, but not a lot. Being in balance certainly helps me mentally to be able to eat better, slow down and not overeat as much, and also phsically to have the energy to exercise, or even begin to think about it.
Hoobley - yeahhhh, so pleased you found a doc who is doing what you want. :clap: Will be interested to hear how you feel in a couple of weeks. Very interesting about "50% doseage adjustment...to keep the woman euthyroid during her pregnancy" makes sense to me. Re about how you feel in seasons etc, I feel terrible after Xmas usually (do too much, stress to much, exhausted) but much better in warm weather, like right now in melb, and totally shocking when cold, eg winter, or with a cold, eg hypo as in hypochondriac!
Jen - Hey Hi! I l:dance: just worked out how to add a smilie!! so exciting. Anyway, what a journey. I would love to lose the 12 pounds, but you probably felt pretty crappy. hope you are feeling good now. Yeah my endo says TSH around 1 too.
Mannie - hi, and nice to "see" you here. hope you had a good time in Bris. It is a hard slog with the weight, good on hubby for doing it too. you'll get there. I am trying to consciously slow myself down as DD does exactly what I do and wolfs it. Its an ongoing project! I even went to a hypnotist to see if that could help (gave me some things to practice). Was really, really, really good for grief though.
MummaW - Hey! I think Hoobley answered the ? about levels during pregnancy. Seems that consistency is so important. let us know how you go with the BT
Wouldloveabub - how are you going with the graves? Is it difficult to manage?
Wanted to say Hi to everyone, sorry if I have missed you!
AFM - I feel so much better in myself since upping the dose, and even though a BFN today, am not so bad and just getting on with it.
So who can share there info on Thyroid antibodies and possible treatment? :pray:
My peroxidase antibodies have been consistantly over 1000, and it seems like what you've discovered S&P, that it is despite whatever my TSH is at the time.
I have an awesome book - 'Your thyroid problems solved' by Dr Sandra Cabot which explains that selenium is essential to reduce the level of autoantibodies and it shows a case study with a patient having Anti-microsomal antibodies (peroxidase) of 1200 reduced to 350 after 3 mths of taking selenium. This book recommends 100mg of selenium daily and mentions that Australia is a selenium deficent country and explains that how everything we eat ie. animal and vegetable has been grown from and eat product from Australian soils which are deficent - explaining why the thryroid gland is not getting enough selenium.
Interested to know if anyone lurking has been treated with selenium and had a reduction in antibodies and a subsequent successful pregnancy, or if you have been treated in another way........(I have heard of aspirin treatment and know of the IGIV(?) if your found to have NK cells.)
On a more light hearted note:
My thyroid sucks! White T-Shirt - CafePress - maybe we could do a bulk order! :dance: lol
Mummawannabe--I like the t-shirt! :rofl: Wish I could help you with your thyroid antibodies question... I just don't understand any of it! :confused: I did start taking a baby aspirin daily after my m/c, but only because my dr. mentioned that it may help in sustaining a pg'cy.... but never heard of it being used in anything thyroid-related... but then again, I've only just started researching the thyroid, and never even knew that it could affect TTC! I was a kid when I had my radiation, and never really understood what was going on with my thyroid and treatment--I just did what they told me to do--everything they over told me was just a bunch of mumbo-jumbo dr. talk that I could never understand! I had my BT done on Friday, so should hopefully find out on Monday how they turned out. Still very shaky--I hate it--it feels like my body's vibrating or "buzzing" all day long! Although I can definitely tell a difference a while after I take my pill.... yesterday I took a second pill about 8 hours after the first one because I started trembling again. I won't be surprised to find that my levels are too high, so I'm going to increase my meds on my own from 100mcg to 150mcg and see if that helps. Will keep you girls posted on how things turn out!
Samandpoppy--Sorry things didn't turn out as you'd hoped for this month! :hug: Keeping you in my thoughts and :pray: and best of luck with this next cycle! :pink-babydust: Oh, and p.s.--Aren't the smilies fun? lol... I was SO excited when I learned how to use them--you would've thought I won the lottery or something! :rofl:
Hi MummaW
about reducing ATAs, I don't think the baby asprin has anything to do with it, that is used to thin your blood a little to help the embryo grow (littleblood clots can block blood flow to embryo, so the asprin thins the blood to help prevent the blood clots, I think)
My np recommends selenium 100 and I take it as a liquid form which i get from her. You can now get a high dose Blackmores Selenium tablet from chemist, you have to take 2. I also take reishi and shi!take mushroom tablets from her for the ATAs, but after the first month I didn't see a difference in my ATAs. May be not long enough so I am continuing, but maybe mine are low enough now, at around 40 and 20.
My ATAs dropped when my TSH got to about the right level, around 1. I wasn't consistently taking the selenium, so I think it was the Thyroxine. Woud concentrate on that first.
From what I have read, and been told by endo, the ATA's don't affect fertility if your thyryoid is appropriately treated. (I thought they did, was looking for a reason, but now don't)
Jen - if you are "buzzing" you are probably taking too much Thyroxine, rather than too little. You may have to decrease the dose, not increase it :think:
It is a yukky feeling, I have taken an extra one thinking it would help me lose weight (it didn't work) and had that feeling, and couldn't sleep, took me a while to figure out what it was! :rolleyes:
thanks for kind message, :smile: I am back on horse, starting an antagonist IVF cycle this week.:crossfingers:
Also, I asked my FS about IVIG, and it isn't sanctioned for use for connception/IVF in Aus, as it is a "very precious resource" and he wouldn't be allowed to prescribe it here.
I am coming around to thinking that the main problem for me is the egg/ embryo quality. bum.
Good luck with your next cycle Samandpoppy!
Don't know anything about antibodies, sorry... I do recall reading something somewehre about aspirin and thyroid... but really can't remember anything.
selenium, huh. Is that still helpful if you don't actually have a thyroid?
There's always a chance of a few leftover cells that will be stimulated by high TSH levels, that's why I'm on suppression therapy (ie, keeping TSH very low).
Jen are you taking meds to reduce thyroid function?
Hi ladies! Still no news on my thyroid test... hopefully today. I called yesterday, but of course, my dr. is on vacation all week! :wall: So I spoke to the on-call nurse, and she's supposed to get back to me as soon as they get the results. I had asked on Fri. how long it would take to get the results back, and they thought it would be back by the end of that day. Now here it is, Tues. morning, and I'm still waiting... and buzzing!
Samandpoppy--I think it's actually the exact opposite... my meds actually help the buzzing and trembling stop! Let me explain like this: my DS1 is on meds for ADD, which help slow his brain down so that he can concentrate. He's not hyperactive, but the meds definitely calm him down and make him more relaxed so he can think more clearly. However, if I take the same meds, I get the exact opposite reaction--it wires me up, making me feel like I'm all tweaked out! It helps me to think more clearly, but it would feel like I'm on some sort of energy pill or something. I've been on the same dose for years, and this is the first time I've felt like this since before I had my radiation. The thing was, as a kid, I didn't realize how unusual a feeling it was.... now, as an adult that's been taking Synthroid for 17 years, I can definitely tell the difference between feeling "normal" and the way I feel right now! If I hadn't stopped taking my meds and I started feeling this way, I would definitely think that maybe my meds were too high... but unfortunately I did this to myself. If the 'normal' levels have changed, and my thyroid is still technically too high to sustain a pg'cy, then you're right, the dose would have to be decreased, as opposed to increased... but for now I'm just trying to get back to that 'normal' feeling!
marcellus--I don't know if that answers your question or not... I think, ( I know that I should know this!) if I understand correctly, that because of the radiation my body won't produce the thyroid hormone, so I have to take Synthroid daily to replace what my body would normally produce. I think! I really should know more about this stuff, but like I said, I was only a kid when all this happened, and I've literally been on the same dose since, with the exception of when I was pg with DS1, and my body miraculously started producing the hormone again on its own. I've never had the need to know much more than that! Until, that is, I read up that they changed what's considered normal. We've been TTC since summer of '07.... I m/c on Mar. 5 2008, (the day before my b-day :( ) and have been TTC ever since.... I have normal periods, I ovulate, my BT's after my m/c came back normal, we DTD at the right time--I've gotten "high" conception scores for the last several months... it should be happening, but it's not! The only thing I can think of is that it has to do with my thyroid--especially when they're saying levels should now be between 1-2 to sustain a pg'cy, and my "normal" levels are between 4-5!
I'm sorry, I feel like I'm just going around in circles... repeating myself at times... just not sure what's going on, and so tired of feeling like I'm in the dark about what's going on inside my own body! Will keep you posted on my BT's... thanks so much for all your support! :grouphug:
Hey Jen - makes sense what you say, sorry I had forgotten you were a veteran :doh: and that you had been off them for a while.
Poor thing must be so frustrating. So know the feeling of going around in circles, yes poor me too, so frustrating :wall:
I guess the best plan is what you have planned, to get TSH down, and see if that makes a difference to TTC. Hoping it brings down the ATAs for you as well.:pray:
I just liked this one, so cute :wiggle:
Hi Girls, just a quick question.
I was told I had underactive thyroid and that it was because of anti-bodies. I will have to be on thyroxine for the rest of my life.
Is there a name for this? ie: is it different to having underactive that can be fixed?
Thanks
:welcome: Nixon.... I'm sorry, mine is overactive, so I'm not sure about the answer to your question. Hope one of the others can help you.
Well, I'm completely confused... dr's office just called. TSH 0.58, and free T4 0.81.... she said they're normal! :wtf: Why do I not feel any better? :wall: I thought I'd be getting some answers....Grrrr!!!!!
Jen - do you know what the reference ranges are for that lab? Maybe ask for copies of your reports so you can see. T4 of 0.81seems incredibly low to me, but I don't know what reference range they're working off. The normal ranges are so broad too, it helps to know whether your at the top/bottom/middle and then you can self-adjust your dosage a bit and test again to see where you move on the scale and how you feel. (I would advise very modest adjustments, especially if you're on a low dose to begin with). Hormones are really tricky things! We're all going round and round in circles...
Nixon - I'm not sure there is a kind that can be fixed. most people are on medication forever as far as I know, though sometimes their status can change (ie, thyroid starts producing more or less...)
Nixon - I'd say you have what I have... Hashimotos Thyroiditis..is the formal name...often referred to as Hashis or Hashimotos. Basically your immune system is attacking your thyroid - hence it not working properly and needing supplementary Thyroxine..
Hope this helps.
Jen805: I hear you! We are going around in circles and its so frustrating to have this stress on top of TTC stress. We just have to do whatever we can so that we feel more at ease that our thyroid is somewhat under control and to a point where it should'nt be impeding on our TTC......don't know if that will ever happen or if just one day we will each get lucky.......
I just aim to be as informed as possible and consult as many professionals as i need until i feel i am being treated adequately. Then i know im doing the best i can and thats all i can do.
:hello:Hi Nixon - welcome to here! :hello:
As MsPink says antibodies are the things that damage the thyroid tissue. Also called Hypothyroid (underactive thyroid) with Hashimotos (antithyroid antibodies - ATAs). Hashimoto was the japanese scientist who first identified them. You can be underactive without ATAs but I think less common. Euthyroid means the levels ar "normal", either now diease or now treated Just call me Dictionary!
There is such a thing as temporary underactive thyroid, such as for short time after pregnancy, but for most of us it is permanent. I was very shocked and dismayed at the prospect of taking a pill every day for rest of my life, but have got used to it now. Every one has something they have to contend with, at some point and underactive thyroid is not too bad in the scheme of things, eg diabetes, heart disease, etc etc
I now put my thyroid pills (thyroxine is the name of the hormone, there are other brand names,mine is Oroxine) in a days of the week pill box and take vitamins with them too, helps remember. (very nannaish,I know!)
Anyway hope that helps.
cheers
sam
Jen - here are two ranges from 2 different labs in melbourne. What do you take for the overactive, I have been assuming you were taking a version of thyroxine.:
2009 Melb Path Dorovitch
TSH 0.3 - 3.5 0.5 - 4.00
Free T4 9.0 - 19.0 10.0 - 19.0
Free T3 3.8 - 6.0 3.5 - 6.5
Thyroid Peroxidase AB < 6 0 - 34
Antithroglobulin AB < 6 0 - 40
cheers
sam