Hypothyroidism and pregnancy

[SilverMoon010]

I just found out I'm pregnant with my 2nd.  I'm 4 weeks.  I have hypothyroidism which was diagnosed shortly after the birth of my DS three years ago.  I have been taking Armour since then.

How often does your doctor have you follow up to get your blood levels checked to make sure you are taking adequate doses (as I believe an increase is normally in order during pregnancy)?

It was such good timing because I only go to my endo every 6 months and I had my appointment scheduled months ago to see him yesterday and I had just found out I was pregnant earlier this week, so I was able to talk to him about it.  He said he would see me every 4-5 weeks in the beginning for a bit, and then I believe he said after 16-18 weeks, the appointments can be spread out a little further.  He said most care regarding the thyroid is needed during the front end of the pregnancy and less during the back end.

I just wanted to see if this matches up with other endo's guidance when a woman is pregnant.  I feel like 4 weeks is too long to go without getting checked but that's just me, someone who loves to worry about that stuff, especially when pregnant!

[matte]

There's no sense in checking more often than every 4 wks, unless something comes up really odd in the first set of tests. I get a test every 6 wks or so with this pregnancy, and I'm being seen by some pretty fancy endo specialists in NYC (with no problems, no complications, and i've even ended up losing -- medically approved -- weight). Sounds like you are getting treatment that matches the standard of care, and everything should be fine. 

[matty02]

This is my second pregnancy since being diagnosed and I am checked once a trimester. I take synthoid daily and usually only get checked once a year by my regular doctor. I am not sure if your condition is considered more high risk for some reason. I have had no complications. 

[milomama]

I went to my family doctor as soon as I had a positive test and got my TSH done.  It was a 6, so I was referred to an endocrinologist.  She upped my dosage of synthroid and is having me get blood tests every 4 weeks to follow up.  I was concerned about the high level, but she said that is still sub-clinical and we're probably okay since we are treating it now.  She also advised that women often need about a 1/3 higher dosage in pregnancy and in any future pregnancies, I could start taking one or two extra pills a week right from the start to meet that need.

[SoonToBe]

Originally Posted by SilverMoon010 

I just found out I'm pregnant with my 2nd.  I'm 4 weeks.  I have hypothyroidism which was diagnosed shortly after the birth of my DS three years ago.  I have been taking Armour since then.

How often does your doctor have you follow up to get your blood levels checked to make sure you are taking adequate doses (as I believe an increase is normally in order during pregnancy)?

It was such good timing because I only go to my endo every 6 months and I had my appointment scheduled months ago to see him yesterday and I had just found out I was pregnant earlier this week, so I was able to talk to him about it.  He said he would see me every 4-5 weeks in the beginning for a bit, and then I believe he said after 16-18 weeks, the appointments can be spread out a little further.  He said most care regarding the thyroid is needed during the front end of the pregnancy and less during the back end.

I just wanted to see if this matches up with other endo's guidance when a woman is pregnant.  I feel like 4 weeks is too long to go without getting checked but that's just me, someone who loves to worry about that stuff, especially when pregnant!

I get mine checked every 4 weeks.  They fluctuated a bit in the beginning, but have been stable the last 3- 4 months (I'm 32 wks now).  Make sure the doc checks your FT3 and FT4 and not just TSH as that varies so much.  The FT3 and FT4 are the actual thyroid hormone levels and not a pituitary hormone like TSH.

[SilverMoon010]

Originally Posted by SoonToBe 

Make sure the doc checks your FT3 and FT4 and not just TSH as that varies so much.  The FT3 and FT4 are the actual thyroid hormone levels and not a pituitary hormone like TSH.

Is FT3 and FT4 the same as T3 and T4? Armour contains both T3 and T4, so I would think he would have been checking both along with TSH, unless FT3 and 4 is different from T3 and 4.  I'm assuming he's doing everything right but you never know.

I'll have to ask about that when he calls me regarding my results from Friday.

Edited by SilverMoon010 - 6/7/11 at 2:10pm

[SilverMoon010]

I haven't heard back from my doctor yet regarding my results or what to do about my dosage, but I did call his office yesterday and the receptionist told me what my results vs. reference range are. Hopefully he'll call me today and explain what I need to do. 

In the meantime, I wanted to ask:  My TSH is at .2 and it seems the reference range is .2 to 4.7  Does this mean I am leaning towards hyper and am getting too much thyroid?  I assumed when you were pregnant that you would have to increase your dosage rather than decrease it, but maybe in general your thyroid is thrown off in any which way when pregnant?