More issues - autoimmune thyroid disorder!

[Kirsty_S]

Just after some some advice and to see if anyone else is having similar issues.

Me and hubby were referred to fertility clinic by GP a few month ago due to his low sperm count/motility. He's had a few tests and we are going to find results and what treatment is advisable in 2 weeks time.

At that point everything with me was fine - already have a teenage son from previous relationship, periods regular no real issues.

To through a bit of a spanner in the works I've recently like in the last 2 weeks been diagnosed with thyroid autoimmune disease 😩😩 from my symptoms it's probably been going on a while but never diagnosed.

I'm obviously now going to need to mention this to the consultant when we return in 2 weeks.

Has anyone else got any similar issues and has it affected your fertility?

Quite worried as I thought originally me and hubby were only dealing with the one issue. I hope this isn't going to affect us 😩😩

[DianeArnold Partner Nurse Fertility Network UK]

Hi Kirsty_S. Oh that’s such a nuisance to discover the thyroid problem! However, remember that thyroxin is a hormone, and all hormones need to be within normal limits to allow a pregnancy to occur. Being on medication to rectify this shouldn’t delay a decision about treatment for you. Obviously, you will need regular blood tests to check your thyroid function, until any medication prescribed is keeping it on an even keel. I have a list of questions I could email you if you would like to have a look through before you go back to the clinic. It is too long to add here, but if you email me in confidence at [e-mail] I will send it to you. Good luck with whatever is decided for you both. Diane

[Kirsty_S in reply to DianeArnold]

Hey thanks for ur reply I'll email u now.

Any advice for this next appointment would be great. They've started me on 50mg of thyroxine have to go back in a few weeks to see if dose needs changing.

[DianeArnold Partner Nurse Fertility Network UK in reply to Kirsty_S]

Hi. That sounds about right. Look forward to receiving your email. Diane

[Tlove]

Hi Kirsty_S,

I am also hypothyroid and only discovered it after a year of trying and getting nowhere. It was one of the early tests my GP did. Within a few months of getting it on a even keel with the eltroxin, I became pregnant naturally. Unfortunately, I have other underlying issues that prevented the pregnancy from going to term but I do believe that fixing the thyroid contributed greatly to getting pregnant. I also lost weight around that time, which probably helped too.

What I am trying to say is that when thyroid levels are as they should be, you will find it easier hopefully to get pregnant. In the early months, I was going for blood tests almost every month to make sure the levels were correct but now it's more like every quarter. As Diane says, you will have to get bloods checked regularly to stay on top of if. When you do get that positive pregnancy test, you will have to play around with the dosage again as it will likely need to be increased.

It's great that it has been identified for you, at least it's something that be controlled and give you a better chance now that it has been discovered.

I'm on 75mg, that has been increased over the years from 25mg originally. You will feel much better too once you are on the right dose. Just beware that I think it can react with iron, so I tend to take eltroxin first thing and my multivitamin later in the day.

[Kirsty_S in reply to Tlove]

Thanks for your reply and thanks for the advice it's good to know that getting my thyroid hormone sorted could help our situation. I would give anything to have a baby naturally. I really don't want to have to go through IVF.