Any advice on becoming pregnany and overactive thyroid???

[Dionnebee]

Hi all I am 29 years old and have a 4 year old daughter. I was diagnosed with having an overactive thyroid at the beginning of the year and have been on Carbimazole for almost a year. I stopped taking them for a while and my blood showedy levels were perfectly fine however recently I felt as though some of the symptoms might be creeping back so have booked a blood test and I contemplating resuming taking the medication however I also want to have another baby, any advice???

Thanks

Dee

[shaws Administrator]

Hi Dee,

I am hypothyroid so someone who is hyperthyroid will respond.

I do know that sometimes overactivity can happen quite a few times and Dr Toft of the British Thyroid Association says in an online article in Pulse (doctors magazine):-

5 Patients with hyperthyroidism often ask for advice on drug treatment versus radioiodine therapy. Can you summarise the pros and cons of each?

The three treatments for hyperthyroidism of Graves’ disease – antithyroid drugs, iodine-131 and surgery – are effective but none is perfect.4

Iodine-131 will almost certainly cause hypothyroidism, usually within the first year of treatment, as will surgery, given the move towards total rather than subtotal thyroidectomy.

There is no consensus among endocrinologists about the correct dose of thyroid hormone replacement so patients may prefer to opt for long-term treatment with carbimazole. Standard practice is that carbimazole is given for 18 months in those destined to have just one episode of hyperthyroidism lasting a few months.

But there’s no reason why carbimazole shouldn’t be used for many years in those who do relapse. Any adverse effects such as urticarial rash or agranulocytosis will have occurred within a few weeks of starting the first course.

Iodine-131 treatment for toxic multinodular goitre is the most appropriate choice as hypothyroidism is uncommon. Surgery would be reserved for those with very large goitres and mediastinal compression.

Once hyperthyroidism has developed in a patient with a multinodular goitre, it will not remit and any antithyroid therapy would have to be lifelong

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Be wary of doctors who urge you to have RAI or anything else which would destroy your thyroid gland. Of course, if there is cancer it has to be removed.

You then become hypothyroid which many members regret.

Re pregnancy I cannot help but hopefully someone will come along who will be able to.

Regards.