I can feel my thyroid (feels a bit like when you have a lump in your throat before you cry) and it doesn’t seem to be going away as my dose is increased. This is without touching it, it just feels like it’s there
Nothing majorly visible when I physically look (apart from a bit on one side)
Anyone else find this?
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Jessica1987
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I was just onto a new dose of 75mg (have been on this level of meds for about a week and a half)
I will do another full panel test in about 6 weeks and see whether it’s getting into optimal for trying to conceive. My doctor was very reluctant to put my on 75mg because I was “within range” I.e under 4.5 TSH
It is important to adequately manage hypothyroidism in pregnancy (BMJ 2007;335:300).There is an increased rate of early and late obstetric complications with both overt and subclinical hypothyroidism, hence the rationale for treating all in this group. Untreated hypothyroidism can also affect the neurodevelopment of the foetus.
Pregnancy can trigger the progression of subclinical hypothyroidism to overt hypothyroidism and can increase levothyroxine requirements.
Adequate treatment of hypothyroidism during pregnancy reduces complication rates.
Refer women with overt and subclinical hypothyroidism for shared obstetric care. Aim for TSH 0.4–2.5 mu/l.
Increase usual levothyroxine dose by 30% once pregnancy is confirmed.
During pregnancy the thyroid will normally make extra thyroid hormones. We know that having poorly controlled hypothyroidism during pregnancy is a risk factor for miscarriage, as well as for poorer brain development in the baby and pregnancy complications for the mother. For this reason, you should plan to go into pregnancy with excellent control of your hypothyroidism, aiming for a blood TSH of 0.4-2.5mU/l.
As soon as you find out that you are pregnant, you should immediately increase your levothyroxine dose by 25mcg daily, and seek another blood test to monitor the thyroid function. You should then have your thyroid tests rechecked every 4 to 8 weeks during pregnancy. Don’t wait to see your doctor or midwife before increasing the dose, as this leaves you and your baby potentially vulnerable in early pregnancy, which is the most critical time. If your doctor and midwife aren’t aware of the need to change your dose, please refer them to the recent guidelines (references 5 and 6 below). During the first 3 months of pregnancy the target for treatment of hypothyroidism is different, aiming for a TSH of 0.4 to 2.5mU/l. After that, the target TSH range is 0.4 to 3.0mU/l for ‘singleton’ pregnancies. People carrying twins have slightly lower target TSH values. You should go back to your pre-pregnancy dose of levothyroxine when the baby is born, and have your TSH rechecked at the ‘6-week’ mother and baby check.
Thanks slow dragon, I’m trying to convince my GP to refer me to a specialist. She also doesn’t believe that high prolactin effects ability to conceive and only talks about upping thyroid meds “once I’m pregnant” which is incredibly frustrating. Working with her is hard work and they can only ask for a TSH test so I’m hoping a specialist could actually tell me more, rather than me telling my GP about how hypothyroidism and high prolactin levels effect conception. I’ve also got over a year of charting temperature information which I’m keen to share with a specialist as my GP isn’t interested in any of that. My GP did do a course and said that I was actually right and my thyroid needed to be in the lower end of the range but seemed to forget about that the next time we talked!
Some years ago I contracted a sinus infection, it was ignored by various GP's and they just kept offering me nasal sprays which did nothing. I eventually just got used to constantly clearing my throat as the nasal back drain got worse and worse, in the end I felt like I had a constant lump in my throat and it was ignored every time I complained about it. After years of being choked up I am now on a year long course of antibiotics because the infection is affecting my lungs. I am convinced that I wouldn't have any thyroid problems if doctors had bothered to take the problem seriously in the first place.
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