Weaning off times for Levothyroxine and steroids for BFP - please share? Thank you

[Eggfreezer2015]

Hi Ladies

My clinic want to wean me off steroids and levothyroxine (only took as levels elevated by IVF drugs) can you please advise me on the timelines that your clinic used, or times you would recommend based on your personal experience? It’s a bit scary as these drugs helped to get the BFP. Thank you. And wishing you all the best on your journey 💜

[Kittykat198]

I can’t advise for the steroids because I decided not to take them but was told I would reduce at 12 weeks if I remember correctly (was prescribed just decided to not take them).

Levothyroxine I took until delivery. I had a couple of blood tests to monitor my levels too during pregnancy on the advice of the consultant. Levothyroxine had no side effects on stopping outright and I didn’t have to wean from them. I only took them as my levels were too high for transfer but not unhealthy by nhs standards if that helps.

[Eggfreezer2015 in reply to Kittykat198]

Thanks that’s really helpful, if you don’t mind sharing can I pls ask what your levels were during pregnancy so the consultant suggested you stay on them? I’m going to ask my clinic to test me too but then as you get past to the NHS not sure if the NHS then support this? Thanks

[Kittykat198 in reply to Eggfreezer2015]

my nhs app says tsh stayed between 1 and 3. My clinic sent a letter to the gp to ask them to prescribe and they then took over when I was about 8 weeks in. The gp was the one who did the blood tests for me. I think they were monthly/ bimonthly (I had a lot of blood tests) from looking at the app.

[Eggfreezer2015 in reply to Kittykat198]

Thanks was your clinic private, or NHS? I hope my private clinic will write me a letter.

[Kittykat198 in reply to Eggfreezer2015]

Mine is both. They originally saw us on the nhs for fertility medication and we returned as private clients (I wasn’t eligible for nhs treatment).

[Eggfreezer2015 in reply to Kittykat198]

So was it your private clinic that wrote you letter? Thanks

[Kittykat198 in reply to Eggfreezer2015]

Yes, the consultant we saw for Ivf privately wrote the letter for us

[Kitca]

I think you normally have to increase levothyroxine after a bfp to be honest, I did from 75 to 100mcg. In pregnancy you need more thyroxine and if you had high level pre then likely you will need more and dont think you will be advised to come off until after birth and further blood tests if at all. Steroids i took until 12 weeks but started weaning off at 10/11 weeks. X

[Eggfreezer2015 in reply to Kitca]

Thanks for replying and sharing. X

[Ajtart]

In terms of steroids, I was on 20mg of prednisolone but then reduced by 5 mg for 5 days at a time when I got to 12 weeks. I hope this helps x

[Eggfreezer2015 in reply to Ajtart]

Thanks for replying and sharing, so to clarify do you start weaning off at 12 weeks, or stopped at 12 weeks? Thanks x

[Ajtart in reply to Eggfreezer2015]

My clinic told me to start weaning off the steroids at 12 weeks x

[Kennyjen]

Just to echo the advice on levothyroxine - I have an underactive thyroid so needed a specialist appointment once pregnant. The CNS said that a baby starts producing its own thyroxine at around 20 weeks so before then is totally reliant on the mother. Definitely push for a blood test to make sure it’s okay for you to come off the levothyroxine. It’s normal for the dose to be slightly increased for a while as well to make sure there is enough for mother and baby 🙂

[Eggfreezer2015 in reply to Kennyjen]

Thanks for sharing, will now definitely push for a blood test. X

[Beacon78]

My understanding is that if you were on thyroxine when you got pregnant (whatever the reason) then you remain on it until delivery. The NHS will and should regularly monitor your levels. I have attached the guidance I was referred to. It might be that you need to draw your GP’s attention to it if s/he isn’t aware. Best of luck with your pregnancy. X

btf-thyroid.org/Handlers/Do...

[Eggfreezer2015 in reply to Beacon78]

Thanks for sharing the info and will definitely use that for my case. Can’t believe we still have to keep advocating and pushing at every stage xx

[MrsOrangejuice]

I asked my clinic and they said normally you have to increase levothyroxine when you're pregnant to maintain the same levels. However that's not always the case and you just need to get the blood levels checked more regularly to see if it needs increasing or not. My GP did the tests and my levels were always fine so I just stayed on the same dose throughout pregnancy as I was on for IVF.

[Eggfreezer2015 in reply to MrsOrangejuice]

Thanks for sharing, I am on 25mg which is quite low I think, and when I transferred TSH was around 1.94 I think. So will push for bloods. I have my first midwife appointment and I’ll ask her to do it and I guess if she says no I will go to my GP. X