Hypothyroid.

[darla]

I have had a miscarriage about a 1 1/2 yrs now and I was told it was possible that my thyroids being under active was the cause. Now I am taking levothyroxine 88mcg. I have taking this medicine for two months now. I want to get pregnant but it seem so difficult what do I do? I am so broken hearted.

[PinkNinja]

I'm sorry you've had such a difficult time trying to have a baby. It may well be your thyroid that was the problem but this doesn't mean you can't have a successful pregnancy.

Before trying to conceive, please make sure that you are feeling well on your dose of thyroxine. 88mcg seems like quite a low dose, but of course that might be right for you.

It is generally recommended by Dr Antony Toft (former chair of the British Thyroid Association) that most people will need their TSH below 1 and their T4 near the top of the range to be well once on thyroxine. Some gynaecologists who treat fertility issues, like their patients to have a TSH below 2. Ultimately it needs to be at a level where you feel well but you will probably find that level is below 2 and very possibly below 1.

It is also important to make sure that you have your thyroid bloods done every trimester to monitor whether you need an increase of thyroxine. It is quite common to need an increase. Of course, if you feel hypothyroid symptoms returning, you should seek advice from your doctor and maybe get another blood test.

It might be a good idea to get a thyroid blood test before trying to conceive to make sure you are not undermedicated. If you are not sure of the results, post them here and someone will be able to explain them to you

Good luck. I hope things work out well for you this time

Carolyn x

[darla in reply to PinkNinja]

Thank u for hearing me . When I firnd out that thyroids being under active can cause such mishaps im my life I was feeling alone and confused. I am now feeling a little bit more sure of myself when I realize that there are many others like my self that are dealing with this and reading the way they are coping with it gives me hope and the courage to press on. I was wondering if taking viramin b12 will help? Also one a day multivitamins.

[PinkNinja in reply to darla]

Yes, taking B12 is a good idea, along with your folic acid of course. Many people who are hypothyroid have low B12, which is just as important for baby as the folic acid

[molliemdz]

Yes, it's very important to make sure you are not undermedicated (which means that your blood results are in the right range, as Carolyn explained so well, above) and also that you are symptom free (often the doctors will be satisfied that your medication is right just because your bloods fall within the very broad 'normal' range, but that doesnt necessarily mean that you are well, which likewise means that actually your dose may not be the right one for you). You might also want to find out if your hypothyroidism is caused by an autoimmune dysfunction, which the doctors can find out by testing whether you have thyroid antibodies. If the antibodies are present during early pregnancy, it can lead to (recurrent) miscarriage(s). I don't want to scare you, as that certainly doesn't help in your quest to get pregnant, but I've had 4 miscarriages in the last year and a half, and have only recently learned about the autoimmune connection (an autoimmune disease is when your immune system mistakenly attacks one of your own tissue types, as it thinks it's a foreign invader). Most doctors will tell you that once your hypothyroidism is properly treated, most people don't have a problem either getting pregnant or retaining the pregnancy. What they don't tell you -- I think because most of them don't know -- is that women who have thyroid antibodies present have a significant risk of miscarrying, as compared with women who don't have the antibodies, whether the women without antibodies are being treated for hypothyroidism or are normal (in other words, if you don't have the antibodies & are on the right medication, then you have no greater risk of miscarriage than anyone else of your age group, etc). If you do have the antibodies, then you may need to do some research. I know the Lister Clinic in London has a way of treating women with this problem, which I think involves a blood transfusion, but I'm not aware of any other hospitals or doctors that have any other means of addressing the problem. I've just learned about it myself (via a medical journal article -- i'll look for it later so i can give you the article and publication details) and am still trying to investigate options. If I learn more, I will post on this site. If anyone else has more info on the subject, please do post. Thanks!

[darla in reply to molliemdz]

Thank u molliemdz. That is very helpful. I will definitely have my doctor check for gurther causes. I didnot know that this little gland in the body can cause do much problems.