Hypothyroid and Pregnancy

[ekblad9]

I am pregnant with my tenth baby. After severe symptoms (and a miscarriage) I was diagnosed with hypothyroid about 7 wks ago. Two weeks later I found out I was pregnant. I'm so worried about another miscarriage. I am on prometrium and my HCG was good last week but I have little to no pregnancy symptoms. In the past I have had severe morning sickness (although it wasn't *as* bad last time as it had been in previous pregnancies). I've googled around to see if (untreated) hypothyroid can make morning sickness worse. I'm sure I've had this condition for many years and just didn't know it. It seems that it can make m/s worse so that's some comfort to me. I just feel so out of my league right now regarding thyroid/miscarriage/morning sickness. I know I should enjoy no puking but I'm worried. Any experience here? Thanks!

[MaerynPearl]

Have you started treating it? Are you keeping it checked?

I know it could be too soon, having just found out, to have it totally in check, but being treated for it is the first step to avoiding problems it can cause, so that is a good thing! Once it is under control (even with meds) it is no longer an issue, as long as it STAYS under control. You need to continue to be monitored to be sure it does, especially since pregnancy itself can cause the thyroid to go crazy. Some women get what is called postpartum thyroiditis which is hyper-then-hypothyroidism that is seemingly caused by labor itself. Thats how I get mine, so we know to start monitoring me as soon as baby comes along!

[ekblad9]

Yes - he treated right away with armour thyroid and d3's. I felt like a completely different person. I can't believe how long I lived in complete misery and thought I was depressed or just "off". I just worry how it will effect my pregnancy.

[umsami]

I've been hypothyroid for all of my pregnancies.

Are you on Synthroid or anything for the hypothyroid?

Also.. know that they'll want to check it at least every trimester, because your dosage needs can change.

From what my endocrinologist told me, untreated hypothyroidism puts one at increased risk of m/c...as well as some developmental issues. So it's definitely something you want to take care of sooner rather than later. I seem to remember it being most critical the first trimester--but I could be imagining that.

Good luck You definitely need to talk to your OB or endocrinologist about getting your levels closer to normal ASAP.

[MaerynPearl]

As long as your next check has your thyroid levels right where they should be, it wont effect the pregnancy at all!

Letting it go out of control, going without meds, etc... that is when it becomes a bad thing. If you are being medicated and your levels are back to normal with the medication, its basically the same as not even having it (except that, as umsami said, you do need to be checked a few times... probably more than every trimester though since you just started your treatment)

[livinzoo]

I love Armour!!! I was on levoxyl and didn't get as much symptom relief and actually started having memory issues. I went off and refused to go back on. I had to find a dr to prescribe the armour. I started it right at the begining of this pregnancy and everything has been great. No morning sickness, this is my first so I have nothing to compare it to. I'm 18 weeks.

[mom2threenurslings]

I found out I was pregnant the day I started taking meds for my hypothyroidism, so am definitely interested in this thread! I'm 8 weeks 4 days now and have been on meds for 4 weeks. I check my levels in 2 weeks and we go from there. I'm very worried about miscarriage.

[ekblad9]

AFAICT I went through AT LEAST four pregnancies with severe hypothyroid disorder. They misdiagnosed me with PPD after my fifth baby was born (I'm positive it was thyroid issues now). The more I researched the more I found that certain issues occured during those pregnancies that pointed directly to thyroid issues for me. My 7th child has a huge birth mark that is linked to the mother having thyroid issues. My eighth child has two issues (partially developed left breast bud and a bone age older than her actual age) that is a result of mother having thyroid issues, and my 9th child had an abnormal placenta and I bled heavily after birth (like transfer heavy). I had two miscarriages in between there that I know were linked to thyroid. My temps (I chart) were always on the low side (like 95.0 to 96 as a high). I had short luteal phases as well so I put myself on iodine and other things that I thought would help. I thought it was enough but it wasn't and I nearly had a stroke after my 9th baby was born. Anyway, now I don't know what to expect. As soon as they put me on these meds I felt fantastic and then I ovulated so here I am. I pray, pray, pray, that my lack of m/s is because my thyroid is in control now.

[AngelKissedKids]

Originally Posted by ekblad9

My 7th child has a huge birth mark that is linked to the mother having thyroid issues.

Can you provide more info about birth marks being linked to thyroid issues? I became hypothyroid either immediately after or sometime during my last pregnancy and my child was born with many birthmarks - on her forehead, scalp, back of her neck, jawline, down her back, on her leg, etc. A few different kinds too (nevus simplex / stork bites, café-au-lait spots, and an ash leaf macule). I'd love more info about the connection. Thanks!

[trekkingirl]

I am on synthroid and have been since after my second child. I too believe that I had thyroid issues through both of my pregnancies. Thankfully no complications or anything. I was turned off when I learned about armour. Armour is the company that makes spam. You know, that processed canned pork that is popular in Hawaii. Anyways, they also take the pig thyroid hormone and turn it into pills to treat hypothyroid. Some folks feel that armour is a more natural choice. To me it just sounded too weird to put pig hormones in my body. I don't even like to eat pork. I have no idea what synthroid is made of though. I guess in my case, ignorance is bliss. My doctor explained my condition to me in a comforting way. I was really bummed about being on pills for the rest of my life. He said don't think of it that way. Think of your thyroid meds just like any other supplement you take to keep optimum health. My body doesn't make thyroid hormomes, so I take a supplement for that.

[babybirkel]

I was diagnosed as very slightly hypo (TSH at 4.5, which some MDs consider to be normal, but I went in because I was sick and tired of feeling exhausted and depressed all the time) about 3 weeks before I found out I was pregnant with my second child. I am almost 14 weeks now.

I was on a small dose of levothyroxine (50 mg) for a while but I didn't feel any better, so I requested to be switched to Armour (30 mg) and I am feeling better with that.

From what I understand, it's not really a huge deal in pregnancy as long as you're keeping it under control with medication. You'll want to get your levels checked every trimester to see if your dosage will need to be adjusted. I was really worried for the first trimester but I had my levels checked and my TSH was 1.2 or something like that.

My other thought is to try to support your adrenals, too, as thyroid and adrenal issues often go hand-in-hand. There's a really information thread out there on MDC called The Adrenal Fatigue thread that might be helpful to you. I am still very much learning about all of this and what natural things I can do in addition to medication to help.

Blessings to you during your pregnancy.

[livinzoo]

Originally Posted by trekkingirl

I was turned off when I learned about armour. Armour is the company that makes spam. You know, that processed canned pork that is popular in Hawaii. Anyways, they also take the pig thyroid hormone and turn it into pills to treat hypothyroid. Some folks feel that armour is a more natural choice. To me it just sounded too weird to put pig hormones in my body. I don't even like to eat pork. I have no idea what synthroid is made of though.

Can you show me where you have found the information that Hormel the company that makes Spam is the same as Forest Pharmaceuticals that produces Armour Thyroid?

I like to think of the difference between Synthroid (Levoxyl, etc) and Armour as the difference between Crisco and Lard. One is a man made product and the other is a natural occurring product of nature. I feel that the natural product not only is going to be utilized by my body better but in most likelihood is safer.

[umsami]

Armour is not the same as the Spam-producer; however, yes, it is made from thyroid glands from pigs. (Whether or not that's natural...seeing as we're humans and not pigs is up to your own discretion... also depending on your views of the entire pork industry that may be a problem for you--or you may be glad that at least one additional part is being "used.")

The big difference between Armour and Synthroid (or other synthetic drugs) is that Armour contains both T3 and T4 (as well as T1 and T2), whereas Synthroid is solely T4. The ration in pork thyroid is not the same as humans--it's higher--for some people this is fine, others need to supplement with additional T4. As the "natural" thyroid preps contain both T3 and T4, the dosage is typically less than with Synthroid. Forest Labs also makes a synthetic version of a T3/T4 combo pill--so that's an option as well.

If you're interested in Armour, then I'd talk about it with your endocrinologist. Not all endocrinologists are comfortable with dessicated thyroid--especially if they are recent (past 10 years or so) med school grads. I know they reformulated last year and not everybody feels it works as well now. There are other porcine thyroid products out there as well.

Oh...there is a bovine (cow) version of dessicated thyroid hormone, made by Nutri-Meds. However, unlike Armour, Nutri-Meds views itself as only a dietary supplement, so it is not FDA regulated.

[trekkingirl]

oh, I didn't read that, it was word of mouth by a handfull of people, including my doctor.

[MaerynPearl]

Originally Posted by trekkingirl

oh, I didn't read that, it was word of mouth by a handfull of people, including my doctor.

May want to educate your doctor then... its very much false information.

[umpquafish]

Armour thyroid comes from the Armour pig company. They produce bacon and lard, among other things. If anybody had trouble getting a hold of it last winter (as my mom and best friend did), it is because the H1N1 vaccine gobbled up the supply of pig hormones.
I had been on Synthroid starting last fall, but asked to be switched to Armour as soon as I heard it was available again. I do not eat pig flesh because there are hormones in it that are not understood in terms of how they interact with human hormones, according to Sally Fallon and Dr. Mary Enig. The hormones are not stored in the fat, so I do cook with lard occasionally. I believe that pig thyroid is not the culprit, although I cannot back that up with any hard evidence. I know my body well enough to understand that a lot of allopathic medicines make me feel worse, and Synthroid made my very regular periods suddenly erratic. I think that different things work for different people.
Armour has waxed and waned in popularity for around 150 years. Basically, if the pharmaceutical companies could make a profit off of it, it would likely be more consistently prescribed. Sorry if this seems too much like a political rant. I am disgusted with how difficult it can be for a patient to be supported in their choices.
I fortunately found a practicioner who is willing to prescribe Armour. She wasn't willing to work with a compound pharmacy because she hadn't done prior research into other thyroid compounds, and I respect that about her.
I made the switch to Armour, had my initial test two months later, and my dosage was upped. The following week was when I discovered that I was pregnant. The first trimester is critical in regards to thyroid, because the embryo hasn't developed its own thyroid yet, and so uses what the mother has to offer. Deficiency *can* lead to neural tube issues. (I have been taking purified fish oil to help prevent that, too.) It is imperative to follow your doctor's recommendations about frequency of testing, but if you have been consistently taking your medication as prescribed, everything should be fine. This will be my first baby, and I am feeling confident despite a previous chemical pregnancy.
Here is hoping that we all have healthy babies!
One more thing: a lot of hypothyroid patients do not know that they need to avoid calcium and iron for four hours after taking the medication because they can block the absorption of the hormone.

[Climbergirl]

Originally Posted by umpquafish

One more thing: a lot of hypothyroid patients do not know that they need to avoid calcium and iron for four hours after taking the medication because they can block the absorption of the hormone.

This is why I consistently forget to take my prenatals! Also, calcium blocks the absorption of iron, so you have to take those at different times too. My brain can't handle all that

[umpquafish]

This is a duplicate message.

[umpquafish]

I know! It can be dizzying!
I take my thyroid medication when I wake up to go to the bathroom now, so that I can hopefully go back to sleep and wake up ready to eat a little bit instead of lying there miserable and hungry for an hour. I usually want to eat yogurt in the morning, or drink a little steamed milk, but since I usually take the pill at three in the morning, I don't feel so deprived.
I have also taken to putting all of my supplements for the day in a canister that I keep in my purse and pull out whenever I eat. It feels dorky, but I wouldn't be able to remember them all if I didn't, and I can be a little more spontaneous throughout the day.
I want to correct my statement that dessicated pig thyroid has been used for 150 years- it was 120 years ago that its use was first documented.

[umsami]

The Armour Brand that makes the thyroid is not owned by the meatpacking company anymore. It is owned by Forest Labs. Smithfield and Pinnacle Foods own the food-related brands.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armour_and_Company

The Armour Star (shelf-stable) brand includes meat-based, lard and canned entrees including hash, chili, stews, and potted meats. The rights to the Armour Star food brand are owned by Pinnacle Foods. The Armour brand for refrigerated meats is now owned by Smithfield Foods of Smithfield, Virginia, through their affiliate, Armour Eckrich LLC. The Armour brand for use in the pharmaceutical industry is owned by Forest Laboratories, Incorporated.