Undiagnosed hypothyroidism

[Water-Lilly]

My daughter has had an unplanned pregnancy, she was diagnosed with hypothyroidism at week 4 of pregnancy Her doctor put her on 50mg of Levothyroxine straight away a few days later the dose was increased to 75mg my daughter started having palpitations the doctor then reduced the dose back to 50mg. My daughter is worried sick for the health of herself and her baby the doctor has told her not to worry is this common practice is my daughter worrying unnecessarily please help

[Nanaedake]

Has your daughter got access to her blood test results? If not, she can register via GP reception, if in the UK or get a print out at reception. She can then discuss them with her GP. Look up guidelines for pregnancy and ask GP where to access guidelines for thyroid levels in pregnancy. She needs regular blood tests to monitor levels against the target levels for each trimester listed in the guidelines.

[Water-Lilly in reply to Nanaedake]

Can you tell me if she needs to see a endocrinologist

[Nanaedake in reply to Water-Lilly]

The information Slowdragon has given you is what you need. A referral to an Endocrinologist generally takes months.

[j9j8j7 in reply to Nanaedake]

In my experience, if anything is amiss with your thyroid, the midwife will refer you to an antenatal endocrinologist and you get an appointment pretty quick (a week or two). I think midwife referrals are fast tracked. During both my pregnancies, I had much better luck dealing with the midwives (compared to the GP) so my advice would be for your daughter to speak to her midwife about it.

[Nanaedake in reply to j9j8j7]

You need to post this on Waterlilies Post or she won't see it because you've replied to me by mistake. It's important information that she won't want to miss.

[humanbean in reply to Nanaedake]

This whole thread was started by Water-Lilly. She will be alerted to all replies.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Do you have any test results?

For full Thyroid evaluation she needs TSH, FT4 and FT3 plus both TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested. Also EXTREMELY important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12

Low vitamin levels are extremely common, especially if cause is autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto's) diagnosed by raised Thyroid antibodies (About 90% of primary hypothyroidism is due to autoimmune thyroid disease

Ask GP to test vitamin D, folate, B12 and ferritin levels

Has she been taking any vitamin supplements?

Recommended on here that all thyroid blood tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and before eating or drinking anything other than water .

Last dose of Levothyroxine 24 hours prior to blood test. (taking delayed dose immediately after blood draw).

This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip, best not mentioned to GP or phlebotomist)

Private tests are available as NHS currently rarely tests Ft3 or thyroid antibodies or all relevant vitamins

List of private testing options

thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...

Medichecks Thyroid plus vitamins including folate (private blood draw required)

medichecks.com/products/thy...

Thriva Thyroid plus antibodies and vitamins By DIY fingerpick test

thriva.co/tests/thyroid-test

Blue Horizon Thyroid Premium Gold includes antibodies, cortisol and vitamins by DIY fingerprick test

bluehorizonbloodtests.co.uk...

If you can get GP to test vitamins and antibodies then cheapest option for just TSH, FT4 and FT3

£29 (via NHS private service ) and 10% off if go on thyroid uk for code

thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...

monitormyhealth.org.uk/thyr...

Medichecks - JUST vitamin testing including folate - DIY finger prick test

medichecks.com/products/nut...

Medichecks often have special offers, if order on Thursdays

[Water-Lilly in reply to SlowDragon]

Thank you so much this is all new to me just need to know what she’s got to do next and point her in the right-direction

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Pregnancy guidelines

thyroiduk.org/having-a-baby-2/

gp-update.co.uk/files/docs/...

See pages 7&8

btf-thyroid.org/Handlers/Do...

[NWA6]

Why would they increase a few days later?

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to NWA6]

Probably needs to increase dose quickly

TSH should be under 2.5 for pregnancy....ideally before conception.

All four vitamins are often low and frequently need improving. GP should have tested these...if not ....they need testing ASAP,

[NWA6 in reply to SlowDragon]

And yet now she has palpitations? So too soon to increase.

[Water-Lilly in reply to SlowDragon]

Can you tell me what are the four vitamins please

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Water-Lilly]

Folate, B12, ferritin and vitamin D

[Water-Lilly]

I really don’t know my daughter is away from home she has a 6 week scan on Monday and bloods on 15 th sept she’s worried if she dosnt get the correct dose of meds the baby Will have problems later on

[HLAB35]

Palpitations are often a reaction to a dose increase where vitamins and minerals are not optimal. It's usually low Ferritin or Vitamin D. B12 and folate are vital for pregnant mothers and their babies. Get all tested asap (private testing may be quicker for most, but a pregnant woman who's hypo should be seen immediately by NHS). Also check antibodies for Hashimoto's. I recently noticed one of the respected supplement companies has launched a special 'pregnancy supplement'* with the most bioavailable forms of b vitamins and minerals... probably Igennus or Biocare. These may be pricey, but Hypos have trouble absorbing standard multis.

Here it is..

igennus.com/collections/pre...

* Actually it's not sold as a pregnancy supplement - I got that wrong, but their new multi is particularly recommended for pregnancy so can give us an indication of what's considered helpful. I notice that they also recommend their Magnesium complex (I haven't tried this brand myself for Magnesium) which is particularly useful for dealing with cramps and muscle aches and helps us absorb vitamin D. On closer inspection at the contents (of the multimineral/vitamin) it contains iodine, which is a shame, as you don't particularly want more iodine when on Levo (it contains iodine). Never mind. Also, the vitamin D levels are on the lower side which won't help a deficiency.

N.B. Companies like Igennus and Biocare have helplines if you need nutritional advice once you know your deficiencies.

[Water-Lilly in reply to HLAB35]

Thank you everyone had been so helpful

[Polly91]

I remember when I got pregnant with my eldest nearly 20 years ago I was told borderline hypothyroid increases the risk of stillbirth. So I was put on levothyroxine and have been on it ever since.

A different doctor I saw many years later told me that by starting Levothyroxine when I did during my pregnancy probably saved my baby’s life.

It’s advisable to have regular blood tests monitoring your thyroid function (TSH, T4 and T3 if possible ) and your thyroid replacement hormone should be adjusted accordingly.

Good luck with the pregnancy

[Water-Lilly in reply to Polly91]

Thank you polly so happy to hear something positive anything I’ve read on the internet has been all doom and gloom

[Polly91]

That’s why I replied. 🙂

My Levothyoxine needs changed during pregnancy and after pregnancy so your daughter should keep an eye on it and hopefully GP will too.

Hope you have a healthy new grand child next year .

[Water-Lilly in reply to Polly91]

Thank you so much 😊 🙏🏻

[Dorey69]

Levo can cause this too. Or the certain brands. Some doctors don’t have full knowledge about thyroid and give you the standard recommend dose. I’d definitely go back and ask for a doctor who understands and refer you to help with thyroid and pregnancy

[Miffie]

I can understand why you and your daughter are worried. Years ago no one was given additional testing whilst pregnant. I had two pregnancies and delivered two very healthy babies. My first was born in 1974 and second in 1979. No one ever mentioned any thyroid monitoring and I had been hypothyroid for twenty years when I was first pregnant. I hope your daughter has reliable monitoring via eith midwife or GP and all goes well. Anxiety is not good for anyone and I hope her next appointment with her GP can put both your minds at rest.

[genesurf]

Was your daughter taking a biotin supplement when she was tested? Biotin interferes with the thyroid assay and can cause false results.

[Water-Lilly in reply to genesurf]

She has told me she been be taking pregnancy vitamins I don’t know the contents

[BonnieG123]

I do not like taking medications during pregnancy. Did she have bad symptoms that warranted the thyroid test?

[BonnieG123]

Hi, Water Lily! I’m learning in my old age that doctors are not always right. My cardiologist was treating me for sleep apnea and for a heart condition. I didn’t have either and I took that medication for two years. Sometimes you have to go with your gut feeling and sometimes you need a second opinion. If your daughter hasn’t seen an endocrinologist, that should be her next stop. If he confirms the thyroid condition, have her ask if it’s necessary to begin treatment while pregnant. God bless.