I suffer from hyperactive thyroidism diagnosed last year I am worried about my ability to conceive a child or what issues my child may get

[Demilove]

I really want to be a mum

[marram]

Hi Demilove, first of all, it's good that you have been diagnosed. Do you have Graves'? I was diagnosed myself with Graves' at the age of 13. That was many years ago now, but strangely the treatments have not progressed very much since then, I am 68 now and they still treat with Carbimazole. Are you having Carbimazole, or Carbimazole and Levothyroxine? (Which is also called Block and Replace). I had Carbimazole until I was 18 and then had a partial thyroidectomy.

Many people are well controlled by drug tratment to suppress the thyroid, and go on to have children perfectly normally.

Without any further information all I can do is to encourage you by saying that once my thyroid was under control I had a baby at the age of 20 with no problems whatsoever. He is intelligent, handsome and completely normal. I could quite possibly have had more but as I was a single Mum - not by choice - the opportunity did not arise.

I later (in my late 30s) had a relapse and ended up having a TT. Some people find that antithyroid drugs sort them out completely, others have block-and-replace and continue a normal life.

Do please come back if you wish, and say let us know what treatment you are having, your age, and if you have any blood test results please put them here, including the ranges, if possible.

This will enable you to get better support and advice. But please do not be anxious about your prospect of being a mother, but be encouraged by stories such as mine.

Marie XX

[Bethy12]

Hi, I was diagnosed with Graves in Feb 2009, put on Carbimizole then the block and replace. The Carbimizole was changed to PTU and by the end of the year I was balanced and pregnant! I had scans and blood tests every four weeks after 20 weeks to make sure baby was growing properly. By the time she was born I'd been weaned off the meds as the pregnancy hormones had reset my thyroid.

I relapsed afterwards - I was warned it may happen and have since had a TT but I didn't have any problems during my pregnancy. My daughter was checked when she was born and she was fine. She's now 3 going on 13!

Good luck!