hyperthyroidism and pregnancy

I think you are fortunate that you got pregnant and have cancelled your radiation.  I and others on another Board believe that saving your thyroid and normalizing your labs by taking thyroid blocking meds is a far better option health wise than radiation treatment for this problem which is irreversible once it is done.  I have read that many people who have radiation therapy and then thyroid replacement with levothyroxine do not ever feel normal again and regret having taken that option, although this is the one that most doctors push for.  I have also seen many pregnant women treated with PTU in pregnancy and then switched to Methimazole (or Carbimazole in UK) later who do just fine.  One of the things doctors don't tell you is that when your thyroid is functioning hyper, you are losing a lot of vitamins, minerals and amino acids from your body and testing your levels of vitamin D, carnitine and magnesium and replacing any deficiencies with supplements helps your recovery.  Also, diet is very important, avoiding excessive iodine and gluten and sugar also improves outcomes. 

So sorry to hear about the thyroid issue, especially while being pregnant.  I recenlty was diagnosed w Graves/hyperactive thyroid disorder. Ironically we had been trying to concieve for about 5 months proior, with no luck. I have read that Thyroid can affect fertility. Since then I have been very nervous about the possibility of getting pregnant with this issue. I am interested to know what treatment plan they have in place for you during pregnancy. I am currently on Methimazole 20mg 3x a day, with hopes to decrease in addition to 40 mg Propranolol 3x daily to keep my heart rate down. I was curious if there is a safer medication to be taking while trying to concieve or during pregnancy. Best of luck to you and Congratulations! 

Hello Rachy:

My name is Shelly and I am a nurse in the USA.  I have Hashimoto's disease which is a form of Hypothyroidism.  The opposite of you. I know a lot about both sides of the disease.

First of all, Congratulations on being pregnant and I wish you good health and the baby good health.

Don't worry!  The fetus needs your hormones to be good for development and in a way it is better to have more than less.  Hypo or low can be worse in some ways.

Now you need some blood work, to include: calcium, potassium, sodium, Vit D and magnesium levels.  Of course you will be placed on pre-natal vitamins and you will need to follow what your doctor says.

You will need a bit more rest and take it easy, as HYPERthyroid people can have their heart race or the beat goes to high. Your doctor will check you, I am sure of it.

You will need to watch for any swelling in your ankles or legs, and watch your Blood Pressure as it can rise in pregnancy. Also they may draw blood more to keep a check on your thyroid.

We live in good times with modern medicine and imaging, So relax you will be fine and so will the baby.

Best wishes,

Shelly

Hi just an update had a bit of spotting on Friday so was sentto get bloods taken and to see doctor they said my hormone level was almost 300 and had to come for scan this morning scan shows nothing nasty and docs now think I'm more like 2 weeks pregnant but my hormone level has dropped slightly so have to repeat in two days has anyone had this happen but gone to full term x