7 months postpartum with thyroid problems

[Terynbritt]

Hi!

I am desperate for help. I had my son 7 months ago. 2 months ago had my thyroid levels checks. My TSH came back at a 92.6. Dr said I have hashis and put me on 50mcg of Levo. Still felt terrible. I now see a different dr who has me on Nature Throid. My hair loss is at an all time high. I've lost almost all body hair and the hair on my head is getting thinner by the day. I've only been on nature throid for 6 weeks now and on several other natural supplements. Will this stop?! Am I not taking a high enough dose of NatureThroid. Any advice would be so greatly appreciated. My other symptoms seem to have subsided but this hair loss is just awful.

[shaws Administrator]

I am very sorry you are having problems which you've had since your little baby was born. It is more common than we think that postpartum thyroid problems arise.

You are very fortunate that a doctor has prescribed Nature Throid for you. You should now have another blood test and increase every six weeks. Normally a blood test is taken every six weeks with an increase until you feel much better. We have to have sufficient hormones to get rid of our symptoms. It is a much slower process unfortunately than we would like.

Don't take Nature Throid before your next blood test, leave about 24 hours between the last dose and the test. If we take thyroid hormones before the test it can skew the results. If you've not had a Vit B12, Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate ask for these to be checked.

Maybe this link might be helpful and read from the 3rd question on.

I hope you feel much better quite soon as it must be very difficult indeed. i.e. hair loss and all the other things you state are common but when you are on an optimum of medication (as long as your doctor doesn't halt when you are 'in range') things should resolve. Most of us feel better when TSH is very low around 1 or below.

web.archive.org/web/2010103...

[eeng]

7 months after having a baby is when your hair will be falling out anyway without the thyroid problem to add to it. During pregnancy your hair doesn't fall out naturally, and becomes extra thick and healthy-looking. About 6 months after giving birth your body plays catch-up and lets drop 9 months worth of old hair. It's really depressing because that's the very time you are feeling at your most tired, and looking at your body wondering why the weight hasn't gone and whether your body will ever look good again, then the final straw - your hair falls out. In fact because the average person's hairs grow for 6 years and then falls out you may find that in 6 years time you have another increase in hair loss. I know I did. Some hypothyroid people find that if they are low on ferritin (stored iron) this exacerbates hair loss. I hope you see improvement soon, but you will need patience. Thyroid issues take months to sort out, and you will probably need an increasing dose of medication for some time, with blood tests every 6-8 weeks to check your progress. Be aware that low mood is a hypothyroid symptom and will improve once your dose is optimised.