Anyone here dealing with hormonal issues, hypothyroidism, adrenal stress?

[marinak1977]

Hi Everyone, I am hoping to meet more people that are TTC while dealing with hypothyroidism and other hormonal issues. I was diagnosed with HypoT about 5 months ago, my TSH was at 7+. I am now on 50 mcg of levothyroxine, which has really helped my energy level, and my TSH is now at 1.6. I am not sure if it's autoimmune, but I'm guessing it is - as I have some ANAs present (have not been tested specifically for hashimoto's though). I still get tired, but it is better then before...
We've been TTC our #1 for about 18 months, trying to time it for about a year (still missing O a lot), and charting for last 2 months. I got a BFP 2 weeks ago after many disappointments, and I think timing and my DH's new diet had something to do with it (he has low count and motility). Unfortunately the pregnancy stopped developing and I miscarried less than 5 days later - at 5 weeks. I'm wondering if being low on thyroid function could have something to do with it, (I managed to go about 5 days w/o my meds right before I found out - forgot to take them on a trip - and wonder...).
So... is anyone else in my boat? I'm eager to TTC again, but scared of miscarrying. And of course still hormonal and totally confused. Please share what you have done or are thinking of trying in your journey.

[turtlewomyn]

I have been TTC #2 and have subclinical hypothyroidism that developed after the birth of my first child. My TSH was a 4.06 and my FP told me to go ahead and TTC. Well, I got pregnant in August, had a m/c at six weeks, then got pregnant again in October only to have an ectopic pregnancy that ended in emergency surgery and loss of my left tube. Finally got on armour thyroid in January after showing my FP literature that says that TSH should be below three. I just had a follow with him, and my TSH was down at 2.1 just after a week of armour. I don't have antibodies, but my brother has Hashimoto's, so I am nervous that I could have that or develop it (but people with Hashimoto's don't respond to armour as well, from what I have read).

I am going to be meeting with an endocrinologist towards the end of this month. We were giving ourselves a six month break from TTC with plans to start again in June. We will see how we are feeling about it after meeting with the endo though.

And yes, there is a link between thyroid issues and fertility issues. Mary Shamon (sp?) has some good info out there on websites, and has a book on it as well. I don't have it in front of me right now though.

Good luck.

[marinak1977]

turtlewomyn - thank you for sharing your experiences. I hope your meeting with the endocrinologist goes well and you hear good news. I have responded well to levothyroxine, so maybe that would be better? I am not sure what armour is, but levothyroxine is just synthetic T4. Do you have any other symptoms besides the fertility issues - I know it's different for everyone and some people do much better with TSH <2.
I met with a nutritionist yesterday and one thing she suggested is checking for copper toxicity - if your house has copper pipes and you live in an area with acidic (soft) water it could be in the drinking water. It affects thyroid function amongst other things. I am having my hair tested to see if I need to work on it. I am hoping that eventually with proper nutrition I can bring the hypothyroidism under control.
and good luck to you!

[redclover]

oooh ooh. me...
yeah, i have what my doc has called "mild" thyroid issues, as well as adrenal fatigue... and like you i m/c-ed at 5 weeks. three times in the past 18 months. it's been heart breaking and i have all but given up on the idea of ever having another child. i have even gone so far as to say to a friend of mine at work that it can't happen. (my honey then blasts me for negative thoughts...) we have a four year old and i've been dying for another one for the past year and a half.
copper pipes? seriously? i knew about the soy and other estrogen linked foods (sweet potatoes, etc) but pipes... is there anything else out there that are heavy in estrogen related substances?

is there anything that you have done thus far that seems to make a difference? supplements? foods? anything?

[marinak1977]

Hi Redclover, thank you for joining in.
I am so sorry for your losses . Do not give up yet, we can do it. I think a huge thing for thyroid and adrenal fatique is proper nutrition - so it can be really helped with diet. I've made a lot of changes in mine - and I feel a lot more energetic. I've severly cut down on sugar, and white flour/white rice, eliminated most of artificial sweeteners, flavoring, etc (only if it sneaks into my food while eat out). I am also eating more legumes, a lot more salad, and ton of avocados. : I have found that lately (even with the m/c) I have more energy, and get up much easier in the morning, so I think the diet is helping. I am also taking high quality prenatals (whole food formula), and microemulsified (sp?) essential fatty acid complex (the disgusting citrus/fish flavored liquid - but it's worth the suffering) I'll see what else my nutritionist will suggest, I'll pass that along, although it can be different for everyone.
I am also thinking about trying maca - it is supposed to be good for hormonal balance (adrenal and thyroid) My long term goal (beyond TTC) is to eventually manage my thyroid with just diet and exercise and not need medication. I will research more on the natural help for hormonal problems, I just learned about "adaptogens" - need to look that up more.
The heavy metal stuff is probably not estrogen connected, but subclinical heavy metal toxicity can be a cause of recurrent miscarriage, it affects fertility a lot. Unfortunately most traditional doctors don't look for that stuff, since actual clinical heavy metal poisoning is usually much more rare. The best way to find out about if you have anything is to test your hair. A nutritionist would be able to do the testing for you.
Please don't despair, I know it is hard to have the little glimmer of hope snatched away, but there is still so much more you can try if you don't lose hope.

[redclover]

hey,
thanks for responding to me...in terms of diet, it sounds like you and i are on the same page. we don't eat anything that artificial, nothing bleached and hardly any flour or bread products that aren's soured or sprouted. avocados are practically the only fruit in our house, and yeah, prenatals and EFAs. and cal/mag.
i asked my honey about the pipes in our house last night, and he said yes, they are copper. you are hardpressed to find any place around that isn't fixed with copper tubing, as the plastic variety were proven to be even more toxic. the only thing to do is live with a well and do it like that...which is soon to be in our lives, but not yet.
sigh.

i guess i should go with my gut, as it seems you do as well. i take the vitamins i feel i should, i eat what i feel i should, to no avail.
i don't know, i don't wanna sound like a pity party here, but there is only so long you can try to do the right thing without loosing hope...right?

very refreshing to know others out there are kind of in a similiar spot...

[marinak1977]

Redclover - does your diet help your thyroid and adrenal issues? It really seems to make mine feel better, so I am hoping it affects my fertility in a good way. Have you talked to the Dr's yet and do you chart? It is possible that low progesterone causes early m/c, and you can tell if your BBT's are low (meaning still low thyroid functin) or your luteal phase is too short from the charting. These are just some thoughts. A RE sounds like a good person to talk to. You could also have your uterus checked - maybe it changed since the last pregnancy.
Beyond Dr's advice - look into superfoods. African yams, and maca seem like good places to start.
To deal with the copper pipes you can get a water filter (the kind that filters out heavy metals) - we're thinking about getting one especially if my hair analysis comes back positive for copper.
What else have you tried so far?

[redclover]

the diet doesn't seem to make a notable difference, although it is how i eat anyway, so i don't know how i feel on other foods. the one thing that seems to be HUGE for me is the EFAs. i went on a trip over christmas and didn't bring them cuz of the non-refridgeration thing, and i felt horrible; my whole body noted the change and didn't dig it.
i think the main thing i struggle with is mood and outlook. i have tried to simply forget that it is an issue, but it's hard for me to do that. i have always wanted children and having the one is the joy of my life. i hunger for more the way a hypoglcemic hungers for chocolate bars. all the close girlfriends i have are pregnant or brand new mothers. i've watched them all move through these phases in this past year and i fight the poison of my own mind telling myself it just isn't in the cards for me. i want it desperately but fixing that pessimism in me is a task all on it's own.
i did chart for a long time. i finally got to the point of knowing that it triggers an obcessive quality in me that i can't deal with. i gave it up because on some level i just assume NOT know. i know when i am ovulating due to mucus and plain old Hunger, but the temperature thing drove me obcessively mad.
i know i have a hypothyroid issue, as well as very low progesterone. i know that is part of why i miscarry. i don't know how to raise progesterone naturally, besides the cream (which i tried and actually made me more depressed then i have ever been in my life. i couldn't even get out of bed. i seriously was suicidal.) and EFAs, in massive quantities. As i said, the EFAs work for me, to make life bareable, but they don't seem to work in terms of knocking me up successfully.
i contemplated taking birth control pills just to put myself out of the misery of it all, but i can't bring myself to do that either, given the horrible stuff they fill those things with. i don't take aspirin, for goodness sake, how could i fill my body with synthetic hormones? yuck.
in regards to the water thing: we filtered our water for a long time with a brita filter, the kind that is a pitcher. i just found out they don't do a whole lot, and it might even be worse to filter the town water anyway, especially if you let it sit on a warm countertop. (a friend who worked for the water department tells me horror stories...) our days our numbered here anyway, so i am telling myself well water is soon on it's way. can't wait.

i keep trying to remember that it'll happen when it's meant to. i keep trying to remember you can't fight these things, although i have a mama and baby milagro hanging in my kitchen.
taking care of other people's children might just be my destiny as far as babies go. i can't help but feel my heart breaking a little every time i have that thought.

thank you for being here.

[marinak1977]

{{{{Redclover}}}} I am so sorry you're going through this right now... I can totally relate to all the confused feelings I get when my friends get pregnant, or when I hear about someone having 14 children (Hey I would even settle for just 1 at this point - - we would really hope to have 2)
Do you take anything for your hypothyroid? I take levothyroxine and it really helps me, and it supposed to help with fertility. And - I think that low P can be helped with beyond the cream. If you are so committed to having another child - talk to the Dr some more. Maybe try something more powerful (even if it is unnatural) Birth control just sounds like a very extreme step, before trying all the other things.
As for water filters - Brita doesn't do much at all - certainly does nothing for heavy metals. A more powerful filter is needed for that.
Anyways, I am so sorry you're going through this. Yoga always help me find my center and let go of despair.

[redclover]

marina-
all things considered- as badly as i want more kids, i have to rely on the universe to deliver. i don't have money for anything. i can hardly go to the doctor even, except for a clinic medicaid covers. i can't afford to undergo any sort of medical procedure. vitamins are the extent of my ability to care for this body in any sort of way- in terms of the possibility of children coming my way.
i want more kids desperately, but unfortunately i have to rely on the faith of the universe giving me what i so desire. there isn't anything else i can do.
try to look on the bright side of rainy days. there isn't anything else for me.

i will look up levothyroxine- is it a synthetic thyroid hormone?
i'll google it.
thanks.

[marinak1977]

{{{{Redclover}}}} . The health care system is really screwed up in the country. However, synthetic T4 (levothryroxine is basically that) is really inexpensive. I think 1 month prescription is only $11 for me (without insurance). Maybe that would help? Anyways s for you and be strong. Life will find it's way to work out...

[redclover]

marina, thanks so much for all your kind words, and i am really glad you have found something that helps you with your T4 troubles. i hope that it does the trick and things get better for you. i wish you the best of luck in your TTC.

As a personal choice, i have decided long ago that synthetic Anything aren't the game i want to play in life. i would consider it if my life depended on it, probably, but as is i don't need to add more to the world i live in. i googled this drug that you spoke of, and frankly, to me it sounds a bit scary and not something i would want to willingly invite into myself.
i am very glad it works for you and is what you want, but i don't.

yeah, the health care in this country is messed up. makes socialism not sound so bad, huh?

[luv2mama]

Hi Redclover and Marinak1977,

I have had Hashimoto's for several years. It has been a big deal in my life, much more than I thought it would be.
One thing that you should know about hypothyroidism is that you have to take a thyroid supplement, either natural (Armour) or synthetic (Levothyroxine, t4 and Cytomel t3). If you don't and are able to carry a pregnancy to term, there is a real chance of mental retardation in your baby. Its a big deal.
I have seen so many doctors and natropaths for this condition. I have tried diet, vitamins, hormones and energy work. I know where you are coming from about not wanting to take synthetics. That being said, the best advice that I can give to you is to make appointments with several Endocrinologists, find good ones in your area on patient review websites. Don't take any crap from these doctors. If they are rude, or dismissive, go see someone who isn't. Most Endocrinologists don't know what they're doing, certainly FP and Natropaths have no idea.
One last tip, make sure that you are being treated with both T3 and T4, and although many people think Armour is the only way to go, in reality the balance of t3 and t4 in Armour is perfectly balanced for a pig, not for a human. It can be part of a therapy but it should be supplemented with Levothyroxine.
Good luck! :

[marinak1977]

Luv2Mama, thank you for your advice. I do really well on levothyroxine. My energy level is up and I am doing well. At last check my TSH was at 1.6. I had normal levels of T3, but low T4. I am not sure I have Hashimoto's, but I suspect it. I'm going to a Dr on tuesday and I think I will ask to have my TSH retested and get tested for the antibodies. Low sugar diet definitely helps me as well, but I also have hypoglycemia, so maybe that is why the diet has an effect.
I'm hoping that TSH at 1.6 would allow me to conceive and have a healthy child. It is so hard to find information on hypothyroidism and infertility (beyond - it affects it)
Thank you!