Thyroid- starting NDT and wanting to conceive . What can I expect ?

[Katoir]

I've had 2 miscarriages (last November and January this year) and I discovered hypothyroidism myself and went for tests. I'm keen to get my thyroid sorted. I'm consulting with Doctor Peatfield ( takes a holistic approach) and very happy with him although he can't prescribe ( retired ) He advocates NDT over Pharma drug and uses temping and pulse reading etc. Very good but I haven't consulted with my Gp . I have just ordered WP Thyroid online. Just wondering If I fell pregnant what should I expect ? Do the GPs know what they are doing regarding levels etc? Doctor Peatfield tends to go with how the patient feels and less tied into TSH readings. I don't want to miscarry again!

[jacrjacr]

there was a article i was reading about a local dr that gave women who were having miscarriages BHRT progesterone cream and they got pregnant and didnt miscarry again....it was huge since it worked on everyone pretty much...something to look into..hence my niece is hypothyroid and just had 2 kids in the last 3 years and she is 30

[SilverAvocado]

I believe Dr Peatfield is happy to get letters from patients, so you could perhaps ask him? Personally I would hold any advice from him as the best I can get

[SilverAvocado in reply to SilverAvocado]

I hoped you would get some better replies from knowledgeable people. There is definitely info on the forums, so maybe you can do a search and find some. Although you are asking about a difficult topic. Because being hypothyroid is dangerous during pregnancy, you will get extra monitoring. But of course the doctors doing the monitoring know as little as any others about how to manage hypothyroid And they will know very little about, or not have heard of, NDT. I've heard of women being asked to switch over from T3 to Levothyroxine during the pregnancy so the consultant will be working with the replacement they know. Which is obviously bad news if you haven't done well on Levothyroxine.

[SilverAvocado in reply to SilverAvocado]

I've just reread your post and realised you may have never tried Levothyroxine? This is the first port of call for NHS doctors, and may be the only thing they ever offer.

I take NDT myself, and I do think the one big downside with it is that conventional doctors do not use it or understand it. So there's always the fear of being unexpectedly hospitalized, having another major health condition that needs detailed monitoring, etc. And I'm afraid pregnancy is on that list.

So I do think you might have a much easier time if you were taking Levothyroxine, unless you are prepared to be very assertive and perhaps refuse some of the monitoring or interpret the results yourself. I have no idea how difficult that would be.

[humanbean]

I would suggest getting your thyroid hormone levels and your nutrients up to optimal before even considering trying to conceive.

I did IVF multiple times and one of the tests the clinic did was thyroid function testing. I was told mine was "borderline underactive", but that they had decided treatment was unnecessary. I was also led to believe that my problem wasn't a big deal. I got pregnant three times and lost them all. This was in the early 90s when the internet was in its infancy, and I had no access to it anyway.

Get yourself as well as possible before you even consider trying to conceive. You'll be leaving yourself open to lots more heartache if you don't. Also, if you aren't pregnant you can experiment with meds and supplements without having to worry about whether you might affect a baby adversely.

[Katoir in reply to humanbean]

So very very sorry to hear of your losses and challenges . This is where I'm at - going for optimum health so I stand the best chance of going full term .

[Clutter]

Katoir,

NICE recommend the TSH of women planning conception should be in the low-normal range 0.4-2.0. If your TSH is >2.0 I would show the link below to your GP and ask to be prescribed Levothyroxine. As the others have said, it will be easier for doctors to monitor you on Levothyroxine throughout your pregnancy.

cks.nice.org.uk/hypothyroid...

[humanbean]

You might find this link interesting :

tiredthyroid.com/blog/2013/...

[humanbean in reply to humanbean]

For something much more heavy going...

thyroidmanager.org/chapter/...

[Katoir]

Thanks all. I'm fortunate to have found Doctor Peatfield so envisage I will keep him on board. I personally prefer the idea of NDT having researched and think that's the right choice for me . I would prefer not to have to battle or justify obviously. If I can get the levels sorted with Doctor P and get established on the NDT I would feel happier. I don't mind being monitored but I would mind being pressured or having the pregnancy over medicalised .

I was very fortunate to have a natural home birth and a great pregnancy and I still trust my body but it obviously it now just needs a helping hand. I'm 44 and have a 5 year old daughter and am fit and healthy ( ran marathons) and don't really have any symptoms. My T3 is fine but my TSH is high and I'm a good distance from being borderline. I suppose I'm hoping that as long as the levels are kept within range I will be left alone . Hmm.