Does suppressed TSH affect my ability to get pregnant?

[Ozgal]

Hi, my husband and I have been trying to get pregnant for a while now and I recently read a blog about suppressed TSH levels and how that can affect the ability to conceive. Does anybody know if this is true? Has anyone managed to conceive while having suppressed TSH??

At my blood test in August my levels were: TSH 0.03mU/L ((lab recommended range 0.4-4.0 mU/L) and FT4 23pmol/L (lab recommended range 10-20 pmol/L). At the time I asked the Dr if it would be affecting my ability to get pregnant and he said it wouldn't but I'm beginning to wonder if that's why I haven't fallen pregnant yet!

[roslin]

I know it is devastating and I am hesitating to tell you my experiences but please realise that everybody is different. I have had suppressed TSH since the age of 22( with a few blips) and we started trying for a baby when I as 30. It took 9 years for me to get pregnant with 1 misscarage. I waited too late to have IVF and it was not until I moved to Australia that I got pregnant which I sometimes wonder if it had something to do with temperature. I had 2 boys in Australia at the age of 39 and 41. Anyway nobody ever told me that there is a connection between being thyroidless and subfertility but I am sure there is. Try to find some evidence and research and present to your GP to get referred to IVF. That would be my advice

roslin

[Moggie]

Please take a look at this link to see if it helps.

drmalpani.com/thyroid.htm

Moggie x

[Clutter]

I'm not sure that suppressed TSH makes conceiving difficult but there is evidence that untreated/under-treated hypothyroidism does & increases the risk of miscarriage.

There are several links re hypothyroidism & pregnancy on hypothyroidmom.com You may need to scroll down to the end of the blog.

[Girlpower]

I was told by my endo that to get pregnant and avoid miscarriage, the TSH should be maintained at 1.0-1.5 throughout trying to conceive and pregnancy, I was having 3 weekly blood tests and my levo dose from start to finish went from 75 micrograms at the start to 125 micrograms at the end, thyroxine needs to go up as soon as you get pregnant, I am breastfeeding and am now on a daily dose of 100/100/125 micrograms alternating - as a background I had several miscarriages but once the thyroid was sorted it did seem to work and I had a little boy in 2012, I didn

[Sarahrae15971 in reply to Girlpower]

Hi I've just been reading your thread as I've had 8 miscarriages and unexplained infertility for a number of years . My TSH is 0.885 and I can't get a diagnosis from my GP or a private endo. that I've seen recently. Do you think this is something you could help with getting in writing or mind helping with ?

[Logan-j]

Hi ive just asked a similar question myself although ive had a healthy pregnancy and now have a healthy 1yr old, it took 18mths 2 concieve and thts when we stopped trying it happened hopefully thts more the key, if you relax (I no easier said than done) itll happen, my dr also said it wudbnt affect my chance 2 concieve, good luck with it and enjoy the trying part x

[kindredg]

I've been trying to conceive for about 3 years while suppressing my thyroid (because of past cancer), and then I read a book that said that a symptom of T4 only thyroid therapy is infertility. Sort of as an experiment I went off the medication for a few weeks because I ran out of the pills and low and behold... I just got a positive pregnancy test this morning. I have been back on the pills about a week. Now I don't know whether to keep taking my pills or not, and the soonest appointment I can get with my Endo is a month away. I think I'm going to take the pills every other day. I just don't trust that I won't miscarry if I went back on full dose. I'm glad you girls are talking about this! I think there has to be a connection, it's just too much of a coincidence!!

[Ozgal in reply to kindredg]

Hi kindredg, congratulations on your positive pregnancy test!!! I hope things are going well I'm just over 17 weeks pregnant now and I actually reduced the amount of T4 I was on to slightly increase my TSH to about 0.5 (I think) before I fell pregnant. I really do think that the suppressed levels may have been giving me issues because I got pregnant pretty quickly after my TSH levels were up a bit. My levels have been monitored every 4-6 weeeks (I have had 1 increase in my medicatoin) and so far our little baby is looking healthy, so fingers crossed for the rest of the pregnancy.

I think you should definitely have your levels checked (if you haven't already) as I was told by my GP and OB that it's important to have them in the right range for healthy development of the baby. Can you see a GP to get the blood test done? I'm due to get my bloods done in another 2 weeks but my last TSH was about 1.5 and the OB said she was really happy with that result.