Hi all, i have hypothyroidism and have recently experienced my second miscarriage this year, both between 7 and 9 weeks. Dr stated that everything was good with blood levels as I was having them taken every 2/3 weeks.
3rd June THS 0.39 T4 20.5
1st July THS 0.12. T4 21.5
15th July THS 0.3. T4 21.1
I am currently taking levothyroxine
Mon to Saturday 150mg
Sunday 100mg
We would really like to have a baby and each time this happens is heart breaking. We want to understand levels or what is going wrong, is it connected to my thyroidectomy? We have had children before this happened thankfully with no issues. Any advice would be greatly appreciated before we try again.
Thanks.
Written by
Sela1
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Some people do get miscarriages when hypothyroid. I will give you some links and when you post 'results' you must also put the ranges beside results. This is due to the fact that many labs have different ranges and these permit the members to respond to your queries.
Many doctors only take notice of the TSH - thyroid stimulating hormone and this is from the pituitary gland and rises if our thyroid gland is struggling to try to produce more.
The aim, once we're diagnosed as hypo, is to have a TSH around 1 or lower but the Free T4 and Free T3 (both are rarely tested) and both should be near the upper part of the ranges.
Levothyroxine (T4) is an inactive hormone and has to convert to Liothyronine (T3) and it is T3 which is the 'engine' which permits our bodies to function as normal, the heart and brain have the most T3 receptor cells.
The following link might be helpful and I am aware how distressing miscarriage is when parents were hopeful there was going to be a baby.
The method for taking thyroid hormones is to take our dose with one full glass of water and wait an hour before eating. Food can interfere with the uptake.
Some prefer an a.m. dose and others prefer bedtime dose. Whichever you decide when having a blood test next day it should always be at the very earliest, fasting (you can drink water) and allow a gap of 24 hours between last dose and test and take it afterwards. This helps keep the TSH at its highest and it is from the pituitary gland which rises to try to produce more hormones and may prevent doctor from reducing the dose.
You also need B12 Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate checked. Everything has to be optimal.
Hypothyroidism causes problems in the gut (low stomach acid) for almost everyone, and this leads to poor absorption of vitamins and minerals from the diet, so deficiencies are common.
Note that doctors only care if results are "in range", they don't care about "optimal".
I would suggest that you need to have a full thyroid function test to see if your levels of Free T4, Free T3 and thyroid antibodies are okay or could be improved.
Also, getting vitamin B12, folate, vitamin D, ferritin (iron stores) and serum iron tested would be very useful. Trying to get pregnant and stay pregnant with poor levels of nutrients is probably not likely to be as successful as having optimal levels.
It makes perfect sense what you say as I have loads of problems with my gut with bloating, pain when I eat normal and going to the toilet. It gets me down.
I would like to get full thyroid function test carried out along with all the others you have mentioned. How do I go about getting them carried out as everytime I say anything like this to my Dr I just get told why, no need. It feels like it's to much trouble for them. Also what would optimal be or does it differ from person to person.
Some of the tests are finger-prick tests which you can do at home on your own, some require a sample to be taken from a vein in the arm. If you know someone who can take blood then there is no extra charge on top of the test for the venous sample kit. But if you need someone to take blood for you (phlebotomy) then you can find info on that on the Medichecks site at the time of ordering - it is an extra charge.
The above test can be done as a finger-prick or venous sample, and BH has options for arranging phlebotomy for a fee.
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General info...
You have to register with the company you want to buy from and this is worth doing anyway because if any of the testing companies have any special offers you'll get an email with the information.
Just because I've linked a few specific tests above doesn't mean that they are the only tests you can order. Obviously you are free to buy cheaper test packages or more expensive ones. It would be a good idea to ask people on the forum if the test you've chosen is a good one. Some tests contain things that are of little importance and just bump up the price, for example Reverse T3 is not worth getting tested. It used to be considered important but advances in knowledge have changed that.
Once you've decided what you want to buy
1) Order online
2) Receive the testing kit through the post - it contains vials for blood sample(s), lancets for pricking fingers or needles and syringes for getting a venous sample, any paperwork and labels you need for sending samples back, and a return envelope.
3) It is vital to test under the right conditions, and also to return on the right days. See these links for further info - SeasideSusie's replies are particularly good :
4) Biotin and iron supplements should be avoided for 5 - 7 days before providing a sample.
5) I always forget the advice on timing of taking thyroid meds before providing a sample.
6) Be aware of timing for providing a sample.
7) Think about when your sample can be posted and when you want it to arrive at the lab. You don't want it sitting in a post box or a sorting office for long periods - you want your samples to arrive as fresh as possible. So post your samples on a Monday or Tuesday. One good method of returning a sample through the post is to take your package to the Post Office in plenty of time before last collection, and ask for "Guaranteed Next Day Delivery by 1pm".
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All the above advice is based on years of experience from lots of people using this forum. It may sound fiddly, but it reduces the risk of getting inaccurate results. The same conditions should be used every time you have a test which is under your control.
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Results are usually sent back to you via email, or you may have to login to your account on the website you ordered from.
Once you have your results and reference ranges you should post them in a new post on the forum and ask for feedback. Results can be typed in, or you can post a picture of your results. If you post a picture make sure your personal details are omitted or obscured.
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