Hypothyroid and Pregnancy

I want to say- first off- that I still fel badly burned by the Dr. Amy incident and being open and honest on this blog has become an issue for me. I am still not sure if I will keep it or delete it; I am just going day by day- like I have been doing over the past year.

On the one hand, I am always concerned that what I write will be twisted and exploited to fit some cause with which I do not agree and this makes it very hard to be open and trusting. My heart is really not in it, anymore.

On the other hand, if I can make just one mother feel better and feel less alone and less of a freak then it will all be worth it. At this point, though, I don't know if anyone, other than fans of Dr. Amy have red my blog and therefore I feel as if I haven't helped anyone except Dr. Amy (which as never my intention). So, I am just not sure if it is worth it anymore.

But, here I am.

I am thankful that I was FINALLY formally diagnosed with a Hashimoto's Thyroiditus last Summer but I have to say that being diagnosed doesn't make the symptoms go away and niether does it take away the sting felt every time I think about the fact that I had this during my last pregnancy and it never got treated.

I want to say, first off, that I like to be a healthy, active person. I don't like taking medicine and I don't like being sick or weak. I am very much into preventative medicine and believe that most diseases can be prevented as long as one eats well, exercises and abstains from harmful, sinful and destructive behavior.  I have also always been a very thin person my whole life and so, once I started gaining weight despite an impeccable diet and exercise I began to grow concerned. I also could not lose any baby weight although I was about 5 months postpartum.

Along with the weight gain, I began to feel very tired- I had never felt this way before and it was very distressing. I also began experiencing occular migraines three or four times a day. I lost my appetite and, in general, just felt bad.

Eventually, I went to my doctor who offered to prescribe anti- depressants. I told him that I was not depressed and that was that. So, I just thought I must be crazy and tried to just get over it. But I never did and things only got worse.

My mood became erratic and I was often vert irrational. My husband no longer recognized me and could not understand what was going on. Again, I went to the doctor and was told that I had to eat better and exercise more. I told him that I was vegetarian, only ate whole- grains, baked my own bread and walkd 5 miles a day but, apparently it wasn't good enough.

I joined Weight Watchers and found that I could not eat enough to get enough points.... I became obsessed about what I put into my body and I exercised constantly but nothing got better.

Then I became pregnant after months of trying (a first) and things really went downhill. I could not even get out of bed. I hated myself for being so lazy and became very depressed. I went to the doctor who ran some blood work but I never heard back from him. I tried to access my records online but, due to a clerical error, I could not access my records. I saw him several times, though, and he never said anything. So began my own, personal thyroid hell.

All I could do was sleep. I couldn't think. I couldn't cook or bake. I couldn't sew. I couldn't read. I couldn't do anything. I didn't want to eat anything. My hair was so dry that I could only wash it every one or two weeks. My skin was dry and flaking all over the place. There are parts of the pregnancy that I can't remember; it is like I blacked out for parts of it. My husband did not recognize me; my friends did not recognize me. My waking temperature was around 96. 8-9* but rarely above 97*.  During the day my temperature did not get above 98*.

Then Barbara was born...

A month and a half after she died, I finally got access to my medical records so began what was to become the most redicuous and terrible 9 months of my life.

You see, no one can agree on recommended ranges for any thyroid hormone or for TSH. Moreover, some docs only look at the TSH and nothing else. Others look at TSH and FT4 but refuse to believe in "subclinical hypothyroidism." So, many people- mostly women- are not being diagnosed and/ or treated for low- thyroid function and, of these women, by the time they are diagnosed and thus treated, most will already be dealing with a severe thyroid problem that warrants more than just taking a pill.

Like me, I have a nodule on my thyroid now that will have to be removed and tested for cancer. I didn't have that nodule last year... I may not have ever had it had I been diagnosed and treated properly. I also have to be on a very large dose of Synthroid whereas, if I had been diagnosed and treated properly from the begining, I may not have required such a large dose. Not that the Synthroid really works, anyhow, but that is the making of another post...

At least I am on something, though. At least the bare minimum is being done for this baby which is more than was done for Barbara.

Why is it so important to monitor thyroid activity during pregnancy? Well, first off, because thyroid problems often manifest in women either during pregnancy or postpartum due to fluctuating hormones and stress put on the thyroid in general during pregnancy. The thyroid is especially stressed during the first trimester when it must not only function for mom but also provide thyroid hormones for baby as well, who can not make his/ her own yet.

In general, having a sluggish thyroid can cause blood sugar issues, weight issues, cholesterol issues and can supress the immune system. These issues would create problems for anyone but expecially for the pregnant woman. In general, having a sluggish thyroid can make a person feel... well...awful.

There is not much known about the thyroid in general, though, because it has only been seriously studied by main- stream medical people for abouty 10- 15 years- most likely because women are the main victims of thyroid disorders. (Side note: I have no doubt that if the thyroid affected the a woman's breast breast size or a man's ability to achieve full erection, we'd have a plethora of information about it but, as it is...) Also, blood tests to detect blood serum levels of thyroid hormones T3 and T4 are a rather recent innovation and thus it has only recently become understood that more than TSH  indicates thyroid function (or dysfunction). Last but not least, thyroid problems are becoming more common. In my own life, my best friend has Hashimoto's and so do several other women I know. Some people are describing thyroid problems as "epidemic" although I don't know if I'd go that far... I guess medical people are now thinking that it may be a good time to start learning more about the thyroid and how it works or why it doesn't work.

While there is no much known about the thyroid in general, there is very little known about the thyroid and pregnancy. What IS known is that it can cause infertility issues, miscarriage and lower IQ in children under 5. It is thought, however, that, in severe cases, maternal thyroid problems can cause fetal malformations depending on how bad the thyroid condition is and at what stage of fetal development the problem exists. Due to the fact that mom's immune system is already not working up to par during pregancy, it also makes sense that a sluggish thyroid would only make things worse... Also, since hypothyroidism causes weight gain/ obesity, it further puts mom at risk for a comlicated labor and infections such as GBS. In any case, it is no laughing matter.

Now, I don't rely on doctors to tell me whether or not my thyroid is functioning properly. While I need them to order the bloodwork and prescribe the medication, I don't need them to interpret my results. Never again will I allow a doctor to decide whether or not I am healthy... This is the biggest lesson I have learned as a result of losing Barbara.

I read as much as I can- I read blogs, journal articles, web sites, books, etc. I come prepared when I visit any doctor and have information in hand. I look over my own blood work- ALL of it. This time, for example, iron- definciency anemia was over looked by my OB but showed up on lowly Tallquist papers.

I would highly recommend that any pregnant woman learn about thyroid problems and go over her bloodwork herself. I truly believe that my thyroid problem contributed to the illness and death of Barbara and, if I had it to do all over again, I'd be hyper- vigilant about my thyroid. Please learn from me!

For women who are trying to get pregnant, GET YOUR THYROID TESTED! Before subjecting yourself to invasive procedures like an HSG, etc, get the thyroid tested! Thyroid problems can cause infertility issues and issues that contribute to infertility (make sense?).

For more information, please see Stop the Thyroid Madness.

God Bless!