Pregnant with Hypo-thyroid

The most improtant thing is to treat this. I have no thyroid and haven't since the birth of my first child. When I got preg with my second they monitored my thyroid levels every other month. The medicine does not harm the baby and what it will do for you is you will not feel as tired. It takes aobut 6weeks from the time you start taking the medicine to you start to feel the effects. Good luck!

Hi M.! You've got some great advice here! I am another hypo-mama....diagnosed after my 1st baby, then had 3 more babies with no major issues. It is something to monitor; you need to take it everyday even if you don't feel much change. If you are off and on with it, it can lead to things like heart problems years down the road. After the baby you will want to be checked again, because you don't want to go the hyper direction...it is a more serious condition than hypo. Best of luck! Staying on the medication is the best thing for you and your baby!

My sister just went through this last year. It is very important that your thyroid hormones are monitored and managed through out the pregnancy. Doctors have now found a correlation between thyroid disorders and autism. I did not have my thyroid managed but did not realize it was out of wack and my youngest has a condition that is on the autism spectrum. They are not hundred percent sure if this contributed but they still don't know everything. My sister had a healthy baby 16 months ago and she is progressing nicely. Also watch out for big babies. My last three were over 9 pounds and one of them was almost 11 pounds. SO make sure they're watching the size of the baby too. It's not good for a woman to have big babies. It's hard on our bodies which I can attest to and so can my sisters. If you have a good doctor you have nothing to worry about.

hey M.... if you need a good endocrinlogist... I recommend John Sheehan in Westlake. ###-###-####.

I had already been diagnosed with hypothyroidism before becoming pregnant. I have Hashimoto's disease. I told my doctor about my desire to become pregnant and he increased my dose of Synthroid. Increasing medication is not like other medications... this is a hormone your body NEEDS for you and your baby. Actually, if you do not take this drug, it could be very harmful to you and your baby. I had zero complications due to my thyroid while on synthroid. I never had low birthweight or any symptoms in my pregnancy as some hypothyroid patients do. My little girl is still healthy today! Good luck to you!

hi M., i developed hypo between kid #2 and #3. i only needed to be put on a low dose of synthroid during my preg. no problems with baby#3 happy and healthy. and once i was medicated i felt a 100%. stronger and less tired. now, i am on higher dose but maintained.

*i have a 15y stepson, and 1 girl 7, 2boys 5 and 22m.

I am also hypothyroid, actually do not have a thyroid b/c I had it taken out in 2001 due to cancer; therefore I depend solely on meds to regualte my thyroid. During my preganancy I worked closely w/ my endocrinologist who regulated my thyroid. I went from a dosage of .88mg to .150mg synthroid. Just to say my baby was born healthy. By the way I was not refered to her until I was 5 mths pregnant, but if I had any control, I would have started sooner. THe effect she told me was brain damage to the child which is crucial during the early stages of pregnancy. There is no potential harm to the baby w/ the meds, however there is w/o. I also breastfed for 10 mos, baby is doing great. Just be sure to have the dosage regulated after you give birth. It took them a while then I ended up hyperthyroid & started losing my hair. I am fine now though. Just know that you will be fine...good luck.

HI M.,
I am another M.!! I too have Hypothyroidism. I developed this after my first son so while pregnant with my second I had it during my whole pregnancy. My son was fine. I just had to be tested often to make sure all the levels were correct. My dosage of Synthroid kept going up as the pregancy continued but everything with my little one was good. My OB said that if something was wrong then most likely it would have happened in the first months and taken care of itself basically. I still worried but everything was fine....he is 9 months and seems to be developing fine as of right now but I am not sure how anything effected him in regards to learning and so forth but that will be detected in the future I suppose.
The only other thing I feel I should tell you is be careful after your pregnancy in regards to your dosage. If it is too much your body can switch to hyperthyroidism which is nice from the weight aspect because you loose it quickly, but you can have hot flashes and not be able to sleep and so forth so just be aware of that. I hope this helps.
M. T

It sounds as if the responses you have received so far agree with mine. When I was about 4 months pregnant with my first child they found out I was hypo-thyroid and put me on Synthroid. I have been on medicine ever since and that was in 1994. That child is perfectly healthy and so are my other two since then. Make sure that during and after your pregnancy that you keep it monitored.

Hi M.,

I developed hypothyroidism after my first pregnancy. My doctor put me on Synthroid and I have been fine since then. I am currently pregnant now and my doctor said it is perfectly safe to take the medicine while I am pregnant. I have to get my levels checked each trimester to make sure they are not changing but I haven't had any problems.

I was watched for hypo during my pregnancy. From the research I did if you are not treated, it can affect the baby. I can't remember everything, but I know it can reduce their IQ. It's more common to develope it when you are pregnant and then for it to go away after.

Unfortunately, thyroid issues can also have a negative impact on milk supply. If you are planning to breastfeed, you might want to talk with a lactation consultant ahead of time and come up with a game plan and be prepared to supplement if you need to. Now, many lactation consultants wont want you to supplement, but once my girl closed in on loosing 10% of her weight, I gave her formula.

Hi M.,
I too have hypothyroidism. I was diagnosed the year before I conceived my Son. I know that first year can be tricky finding the right dose of synthroid. You should be fine as long as you take your synthroid every day and have your blood checked to make sure your levels are where they need to be.
That is one medicine (synthroid) you absolutely must take while pregnant. You can miscarriage without it.
Good Luck-M. in Cuyahoga Falls Ohio

M.,

I have has hypo sence i w as 25 now 31 and with out the med i feel very sluggish and tired all the time! i also get a case of the blues when i know i have to up my meds. I have also been preg twice and i have not herd of or have seen any side of effects pass on to my three children. I know if you dont take meds you have a higher chance on miscarry and have a hard time getting preg. that is how i found out that i had hypo i could not get preg on my own and the doctors think that was part of the problem( but that is a whole nother story) so get your blood work take your meds and get checked often

I too have been pregnant with hypothyroidism. I had my daughter in March 2007 and found out shortly after that I had hyperthyroidism. Then it reversed to hypothyroidism and I have been on medication since then. My doctor just told me to keep an eye on my daughter's weight gain or loss. Then I was pregnant again and was able to keep taking my thyroid medication. It is a hereditary disease but I wouldn't worry too much about it unless you are given a reason too. I am far from an expert on this and still learning about it myself but from what I have learned I think you will be okay. You definately need to get to the doctor or specialist though and have your blood drawn for the T3 and T4 if you haven't already. The synthroid medication will get you leveled out so you are healthy and your baby then can be too!

I am hypo and was for my second preg as well. I actually felt better pregnant! It seems as if things even out, and the moodiness that can be associated with hypo was gone. Synthroid is one of maybe 4 preg catagory A drugs, meaning you need it and it will not harm the baby. Your baby needs you to be normalized during preg for normal brain development. See a specialist, get on some synthroid and keep getting checked, like every 6 weeks. Please feel free to email me if you have any questions!

M.,

get on the medication as soon as you can. Low thyroid can cause your child's IQ to be much lower than it could be if you have normal thyroid levels while you are pregnant. I wish I had known, even very mild hypo thyroid (like mine was) can cause a dip in IQ. My first two children have normal, even above average IQ's, one is gifted in math, and my third, when I had a thyriod screen that was "borderline" and we could treat, but why not just wait and see...her IQ is 81 and she struggles with almost every area of academics.

Why take the chance?

M.

Comparatively speaking - Hypothyroidism is simple to treat. One pill, once a day, every day. I was diagnosed with this prior to my first pregnancy about 7 years ago. They monitor your dosage/TSH levels closer during pregnancy than when you're not (I think on average during pregnancy they check it monthly, other times it's every 3-6 months). I say it's simple comparatively speaking since I also have type 1 diabetes, much more complicated to deal with. You really need the meds - it's a hormone replacement pill that is simply replacing the missing hormone. It may take a little time to find the right dosage to get you in the right range, but it is important especially during pregnancy as hormones play a big role in everything. I'm pretty sure there are no risks to the baby from the meds - I've been on some form of thyroid replacement therapy (Levoxyl, synthroid, levothyroxin...)for two full pregnancies and am also due in March. My dosage has gradually inched up over the years, which is normal. I doubt you have anything to worry about - be sure to ask your doctor what time of day they want you to take the pill as it is supposed to be taken on an empty stomach (my bottle says an hour before or two hours after eating) and can be hindered by certain OTC things. You'll most likely have blood drawn every month, but other than that you shouldn't worry too much.

I have had hypothyroidism for 23 years. I had no problems with any of my 3 pregnancies. You need to stay on your medicine. It'll keep you feeling good. I breast fed all 3 of my kids, as well, with no problems! Good luck!

I have hypo-thyroidism also. It runs in my family. I was diagnosed while pregnant with my second son. The big tip off for me was that I was totally exhausted. I know that you have already been diagnosed and are just curious about the effects of medication. I do want to tell you, in case no one else has, that unfortunately it is an irreversible condition and you will need medication the rest of your life.
What I know about it is that as long as you take your medication you will have normal health. If however you choose to forgo medication the hormones that are regulated by your thyroid will not be correct and you can expect a myriad of problems starting with perpetual fatigue, weight gain and hair loss then working up to depression, heart, kidney and reproductive problems.
Since your hormones are doing even more than normal during pregnancy it is even more essential to have that little gland working correctly. I have not found anything that says there are any known side effects for your baby.

I believe that's what my SIL has had for year and had 2 healthy boys :)

I had hypothyroidism while I was pregnant. From all that I read and from talking to my doctors, they all agreed that I needed the medicine. I can't remember if there was potential harm to the baby, but I know the benefits outweighed the risks, otherwise I wouldn't have taken it. Just make sure you talk to your doctor about it. They'll help you overcome your fears, talk to you OB too...

I would recommend seeing an Endocrinologist ASAP! I see Dr. Elena Christofides ###-###-####), she is fabulous. She can make sure you and your baby are healthy during your pregnancy and that your getting the appropriate dosage of meds that is needed.

I had HYPERthyroidism during pregnancy. They had me meet with an endocrinologist and put on a medication for the duration of my pregnancy. I had blood tests every month to ensure my levels were accurate.

I do know that HYPOthryoidism is easier to treat in pregnancy. The medication doesn't pass through (or affect) the fetus. Depending on your levels, I would guess they'd want you to get treated, especially since the medication won't harm the baby.

One thing you might want to ask about...breastfeeding. I had problems because I produced too much milk, and my lactation consultant said the opposite can be true with hypothyroidism. If you plan to breastfeed, ask your OB/GYN if you should meet with a lactation consultant prior to delivery.

Good luck!

PS - the only way I could get into see an Endo was if my OB/GYN made the call. Pregnancy women jump to the top of all waiting lists.

Looks like you have the answer that you needed in regards to taking the Synthroid during pregnancy.
If you're interested, I know people who no longer need to take their thyroid meds b/c their body is now working properly again, and the same thing that helped with thyroid issues is a perfect prenatal (was my natural energy during both pregnancies!) I can hook you up with some of these people to learn more. Just message me.

Wish you a safe and healthy pregnancy!