Fertility treatment and suppressed TSH

[Tginger]

Good morning all! I hope you can help or point me to some resources please. I’m a bit in a panicky mode.

I’ve been on a T4 + T3 combo treatment since November 2021, and this made a huge improvement to my life after years and years of suffering. Because of taking T3, my TSH has been <0.05, while FT4 and FT3 always in range. So, both me and my endo have been happy with that.. until now…

I’m with a fertility clinic now ready to start treatment. However, the fertility consultant said they need my endo to confirm he’s happy with me to have fertility treatment with my TSH being <0.05. I’ve spoken to my endo, but he couldn’t give me an answer. He said they don’t know what a possible effect of a supressed TSH could be on a baby (he didn’t say anything about foetus?).

So, the endo said he doesn’t know, and he’d speak to his colleagues and come back to me next week. In the meantime, he said, he can only think of taking me off T3 and reducing my T4 to get my TSH to 2.5!!! Which, I said, would make me ill straight away and that TSH doesn’t have to be 2.5, it rather needs to be below that.

Apart of my fear of having all my symptoms back and not being to live a normal live again, I’m concerned that we don’t have time to play with my medication dose and my TSH as I’m turning 40 in a couple of months and the fertility clinic needs to start the treatment now.

Any suggestions or advice? Thank you ♥️♥️♥️

[Jaydee1507 Administrator]

Whatever either of them say the guidelines are not mandatory. That may be your best card to play. You can take responsibility for your suppressed TSH.

The first paragraph in the NICE (NHS) Thyroid Disease, Assessment and Management guidelines says :

nice.org.uk/guidance/ng145

"Your responsibility”

The recommendations in this guideline represent the view of NICE, arrived at after careful consideration of the evidence available. When exercising their judgement, professionals and practitioners are expected to take this guideline fully into account, alongside the individual needs, preferences and values of their patients or the people using their service. It is not mandatory to apply the recommendations, and the guideline does not override the responsibility to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of the individual, in consultation with them and their families and carers or guardian. "

[Tginger in reply to Jaydee1507]

Hi Jaydee1507, that's a good point to start my conversation with! Thank you.