Low thyroid ?s

[JessieBird]

Hi everyone - I am 13 weeks and while in hospital for HG at about 9 weeks, a blood test revealed low thyroid levels. My MW retested last week and just called with the results - I am at 0.05. She said that normal is .35 and that my level is considered very low. She is refering me to an endocronologist for a consultation.

I am a pretty laid back person, especially during pregnancy oddly enough, and don't get alarmed by health issues too easily. However, Dr Google has just scared the pants off of me. Neurological issues, still birth, low IQ...

I would love to hear your experiences if you had low thyroid during pregnancy - how were you treated and what were the results? And also any thoughts on the risks associated with hypothyroidism on unborn babies would be very welcome, no matter how scary. And any ideas for natural treatments that I could start while I wait who knows how long it will take to get the appointment with the endocronologist.

Thank you!

[Buzzer Beater]

JessieBird, is that your TSH level? If so, that shows you are hyperthyroid, not hypo...

ETA do you know what your level was a month ago? Knowing the direction is helpful... my tsh went in the tank (rose from .09 to almost 10.0) when I was about a month pg- just changed my med dose at the ob. Pg is a good time to monitor every 6-8 weeks. It shouldn't be a problem.

[JessieBird]

Hmmm...I don't know any more than what I mentioned. She definitely said the level was very low (isn't that hypo?) but I think she just referred to it as the "thyroid hormone," not specifically TSH. I didn't think to ask what the number was a month ago. I can call back and ask all this - let me know if there's anything else I should ask.

[GoBecGo]

TSH is thyroid stimulating hormone. If it's low then you have an over active thyroid (your brain is making hardly any TSH because there's already so much thyroxine in your system), if it's high then you have an under active thyroid (your brain is making masses of TSH to try to get your thyroid gland to make more thyroxine).

Call and ask for your specific numbers for TSH, free T4 and free T3 (which they may or may not have).

[GoBecGo]

TBH i find it hard to believe you're hypothyroid and they're taking their time with a referral because the treatment is a) very simple (my GP controls my meds, even during pregnancy) and b) incredibly important for early pregnancy especially.

[slsurface]

I've had hypothyroid issues most of my adult life. I had a lot of doctors scare me about the side-effects of hypothyroidism during pregnancy to be very vigilant of it. There really is no effective treatment other than taking a hormone replacement such as Levothyroxine. It's not at all scarely like estrogen replacement and is completely safe. I've been on varying doses of Levoxyl since I was 13 years old. I will likely have to take it for the rest of my life. Without it, your body will not function correctly and yes, it can have major impact on your unborn child.

They will likely start you with a high dosage and then repeatedly test your levels for the duration of the pregnancy and adjust your level accordingly. If this is a new condition, it may go back to normal after your LO is born, if not, then you will likely need treatment long-term.

Good luck mama!

[slsurface]

Originally Posted by GoBecGo

TBH i find it hard to believe you're hypothyroid and they're taking their time with a referral because the treatment is a) very simple (my GP controls my meds, even during pregnancy) and b) incredibly important for early pregnancy especially.

Yes, I would see your GP immediately. Don't wait for the referral.

[mediumcrunch]

it depends on what that number represents. if that is your TSH you are hyperthyroid, if that is your t4 you are hyPOthyroid.
clarify exactly what your test results are and what they show and get into a doc asap be it endo or GP, whomever can see you faster. hypo is much easier to treat in pregnancy then hyper

[MaerynPearl]

I'm going to say that's likely hyper. TSH bottom normal level is around .3 to .5... T4 bottom normal is around .8 so it sounds much more like TSH.

[JessieBird]

Okay, thank you so much everyone. I will call back now (from my office cubicle where everyone can hear...ugh) and get the more specific details.

And I don't know for sure that getting in to see the endocrinologist will take a long time, I'm just being pessimistic based on other times I've seen specialists (not pregnancy or endo related). MW is faxing the paperwork over to their office today and then they will call me to book the appointment.

Thanks again, I really appreciate all the info!

[catlvr976]

Hello,

I just wanted to respond because I've been dealing with my low TSH levels for quite some time now. My TSH level has usually been something around 0.06 with my T3 and T4 being normal and was diagnosed with subclinical HYPERthyroidism. Just last month, my TSH was the same, but my T4 became elevated a little. My PCP said that I am borderline hyperthyroid now that my T4 changed. My MW referred me to an endocrinologist, and I was just there last Monday. The endo told me that it is not unusual for thyroid levels to be off during pregnancy and that my levels were not concerning to him. He told me that he wants them checked again but in the meantime, if I feel that my symptoms were getting worse, or that my baby (now babies!! LOL) was measuring small, to let him know ASAP. He told me that he doesn't really want to treat me as of yet, since my levels are not too far off, because the meds could possibly effect the babies' thyroids.

He did check them again last week when I was there, as well as tested to see if I had any antibodies to my thyroid, but everything came back ok.

Well, my u/s on Monday showed that my twins are measuring where they should be, and I've had no real change in my condition, so we'll see.

I hope that helps a little. It seems you hear so much more about HYPOthryoidism during pregnancy.

Oh and low TSH usually means you're hyper, not hypothyroid, or at least you might be heading in that direction. TSH=thyroid stimulating hormone. I believe it's produced by the pituitary gland (someone correct me if I'm wrong) and it's low because your body's trying to slow down the thyroid hormones being produced.

I've read that you can take PTU safely during pregnancy for hyperthyroidism.

[mclisa]

I have hypothyroidism. It was found shortly before conceiving #3 (fixed the problem and started ovulating again). I'm on levothyroxine and when I'm pg, I get my levels checked every 6-8 weeks. Make sure to take it on an empty stomach. Definitely not when you are taking vitamins.

[JessieBird]

Good morning! Just wanted to bump as I have more info - I am hypERthyroid. I put all the details in a new post that got moved over to the Health and Healing forum. Because I'm terribly selfish and starved for attention, no really because you guys had such wonderful information the first time around I just wanted to check back in to see if you have anything to add. Long list of questions is in the new post. Thank you, thank you!

http://www.mothering.com/discussions....php?t=1214820