Anybody else with Thyroid issues during pregnancy?

[Barcino]

This thyroid is driving me crazy. I am hypothyroid and at first my thyroid went overactive - with a TSH of 0.01 (too low) and a Free T4 of 1.5 (normal to high range) we cut my dose of synthroid and it went slightly to the other end - underactive at 13 weeks. My TSH was 3.2 then and my Free T4 1.0 - not horrible but a bit off. We upped the dose slightly and my TSH now better at 1.8 but my Free T4 is a bit lower than it was - I think they said 0.89 or 0.98 ???? WHAT THE HECK????? So now I am worried sick that my Free T4 is too low or that at 1.0 even was too low. UGH I AM GOING MAD with this. Anybody else having thyroid issues and not only monitoring the TSH but also the Free T4?

Thank you!

[hanbanan]

My doctor has only been monitoring my TSH. I think that is fairly normal. This makes me wonder. . .Good luck to you, though!

[mamaSun loveMore]

hiya!

I juat anted to drop in and share my support!

being preggers with a thyroid issue is not easy! I am hyperthyroid.

My first pregnancy was a breeze. I was dealing with many challenges at the time and yet i felt invincible! after DS was born is when my thyroid hormone levels started going carayzee..
I'm on PTU because we're nursing, and its a good thing b/c now along comes #2...

this time around I feel sicker and totally drained all the time! I have so fewer challenges to deal with on a daily basis, and yet I can hardly get motivated to get out of bed!

So- you're not alone! Hang in there...and make a fabulous baby! Once its here, all else will fade from your register....

:Hug

[Barcino]

Thank you ladies! I talked to the doctor and he agreed to up my dose. I feel better knowing that I am being proactive. The thyroid is really such a complex thing. It can make your head spin! Thanks for the support! Best wishes to the both of you. And I hope you are feeling better soon!

[thirdeagle]

I'm hypothyroid too. Discovered during my first pregnancy and it never went away - its likely that I was slightly hypothyroid before then - I'd just never tested. I see an endocrinologist now and we monitor monthly - as of last check TSH=0.04 mu/L, Free T3 3.92 and Free T4 16.40. They've been bouncing around a bit so he's happy to have the last two months stabilize. Last pregnancy the OB just monitored the TSH levels. I suspect we could have upped the dose a bit more. This time around with this pregnancy and maybe this dosage, I'm actually running kind of hot. I am NEVER hot and I didn't run hot during my last pregnancy. I'm always the first one to feel cold. But there you go.

I just almost failed my 3 hour glucose test too so now I'm monitoring blood sugar levels as well. Joy.

[thirdeagle]

I'm hypothyroid too. Discovered during my first pregnancy and it never went away - its likely that I was slightly hypothyroid before then - I'd just never tested. I see an endocrinologist now and we monitor monthly - as of last check TSH=0.04 mu/L, Free T3 3.92 and Free T4 16.40. They've been bouncing around a bit so he's happy to have the last two months stabilize. Last pregnancy the OB just monitored the TSH levels. I suspect we could have upped the dose a bit more. This time around with this pregnancy and maybe this dosage, I'm actually running kind of hot. I am NEVER hot and I didn't run hot during my last pregnancy. I'm always the first one to feel cold. But there you go.

I just almost failed my 3 hour glucose test too so now I'm monitoring blood sugar levels as well. Joy.

[N8'sMom]

Yeah I"ve got issues too.....

Had baby #1 in April and found out I was preggo with #2 in October
and sometime between then I ended up post partum hypo.
I'm on medication right now, but I want off. I am so scared
I am making my thyroid dependent on it and I'll ruin it and then
I"ll have to be on it forever. If PPH just goes away, when does
it go away and how do you know? Do you go off meds first to
be able to know?

I am going to a new doc in Feb. I think the endo I was referred to
doesn't know much, so I am scared to stick with her.

I also didn't have any symptoms. My OB did some bloodwork and
found out that way. Did anyone else not have the classic
hypo symtpoms??

[lovemycorgis]

I'm hypothyroid as well and my lab values have been crazy since I've been pregnant. My endocrinologist is working with my OB to monitor and adjust my medication accordingly. My endocrinologist told me that this bouncing around is normal for a woman that has hypothyroidism and is pregnant.

[N8'sMom]

T-4 Free is 1.0
T-4 Thyroxine is 12.2
TSH is 3.51

They say I am borderline HYPO.
Aren't these normal? I'm in my 4th month of pregnancy.
Even in the pregnancy ranges my labs look normal.

I was on 50mg of LEvothyroxine and now she wants me on
75mg of unithroid.

This doesn't make sense to me at all. Can someone explain this to me
so I can understand it better?? PLEASE? I don't get it.

I'm ready to stop taking the meds altogether. I don't think I need them.
I don't have any symptoms. I have the usual pregnancy tired-ness at times, but that's about it.

[leafwood]

Thyroid issues are so tough! I was diagnosed as HYPO (Hashimoto's thyroiditis) at 18y. Was fine through first pregnancy. This time my TSH was 5.5 at 9wks. They upped me from 112 mcg to 125 mcg of synthroid. I was feeling HORRIBLE! 6 weeks later I TSH was still 3.5 so I was upped again to 137mcg. That got me down to 2.9 4 weeks later. The endo said that they really want pregnant women to have a TSH below 3 (below 2.5 if they can help it). I have to say that I felt much, much better after the final adjustment.

The tough part for me was that when I was trying to understand everything and make decisions about my meds, I was feeling so incredibly bad and tired and just stressed. Once I was regulated it was much better.

I hope you are able to find the right dose!

[lovemycorgis]

N8'sMom,

Your TSH level is too high. While most labs say that 5.5 is the top of the acceptable range, more and more doctors are recognizing that a TSH of 2 - 2.5 is better. A lot of people start having hypo symptoms above this lower range. I feel terrible when my TSH level is above 3. It's currently around 2 and even though I'm pregnant I have more energy now than I did before I was on thyroid replacement. Good luck!