One thing that the Therapist did say to me that kinda stuck out was she mentioned the heat in the room and I said I never get hot - I am always the cold one and she asked if I wear socks to bed even in the summer and I said yes and she said I may have a thyroid issue and that I should get it checked out because it may effect my fertility. I googled it and it turns our that Hypothyroidism is link to miscarriage - now I do not know if that is what I have or if that could of been the cause of my miscarriage but it does not hurt to have it checked out.
So I will call my PCP today and make an appointment - to just get a general physical and to get bloodwork done to check my thyroid.
Another thing I have been thinking alot about - is when I was pregnant and I had some bleeding a couple of weeks before I lost the baby and they said there was a blood mass in my uterus but not to worry - and with each ultrasound it got smaller and smaller - but I am a little concerned about why that was in there in the first place and if it could have been a problem and the doctor did not realize. So I think if we decide to do the FET in August that I am going to make am appointment with my RE in July to discuss this with him.
I just want to make sure that I am doing everything possible to have a healthy pregnancy - that is if I even get pregnant - but I just do not want to take any chances.
Do has anyone else dealt with a thyroid issue - and has it affected your fertility??
12 comments:
I have heard that thyroid issues can definitely affect fertility, and there are some easy blood tests that they can run to see if you are hypo/hyper. I've had them done because I'm always cold and tired, but don't have any identifiable issues. Good news is if it is a problem, I think it's easily treatable w/meds. GL! :)
My sister has hypothyroidism (as do I). She had a lot of problems getting pregnant, but once she found out she had hypothyroidism and she started taking Synthroid, she was pregnant within a month.
I discovered I had hypothyroidism when I was 7 weeks pregnant. They immediately put me on Synthroid. When I asked about taking that med while pregnant, my OB informed me that if you have thyroid issues, that is the one medication you DO want to take while pregnant.
Since becoming pregnant, I have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism. They tell me that the pregnancy did not cause the condition, but I've read a lot that supports the fact that often in early pregnancy, hypothyroidism occurs. Anyway, they didn't tell me that it would have explained my IF or anything like that, though I do wonder. If I were in your shoes (and when we do a FET in the future), I would definitely get it checked out so that you can cross that off the list of things that could potentially be a problem for your FET.
Good luck!
Thyroids (overactive or underactive) are a major culprit for fertility issues. But, there are definitely other issues. I was just diagnosed with APS, or Hughes Syndrome, which causes blood clots. This can cause miscarriages, as the blood can't travel through the small blood vessels of the placenta. It can be diagnosed with a series of 2 blood tests, and is easy to check out as well. Because of the blood's affinity to clot, it can also cause circulation problems (hence your cold feet and hands). It's treatable, and success rates for pregnancies are high.
Definitely make an appt. with your general practioner. It could be nothing, or you definitely could be on to something!! Good luck!
Most RE test the thyroid, along with tons of other hormones, before you cycle, so if you had bloodwork done before your ivf I doubt you have thyroid issues. Not saying that it is impossible, just it is usually tested before hand when you deal with infertility.
As for the bleeding in pregnancy, sounds like you had a SCH. I had one in my last pregnancy. Appartently they are common - especially with ivf pregnancies and just mean that part of the placenta becomes unattached producing a hematoma. The vast majority resolve on their own and don't cause any problems - the fact that yours was getting smaller so this. They are only a problem if they get larger since then if they grow large enough they can cause the placenta to completely unattach though this is pretty rare.
No experience with it but hoping you get some answers at your next doctor's visit. So crazy that the counselor was the one to mention it, huh?
I have hypothyroidism, I got diagnosed at the age of 18. It certainly affects your fertility, mainly getting PG, not sure if it causes miscarriages. My main problem is my endometriosis. Def worth getting it checked out though, as once you get it stabilised things are a little easier.
My cousin had problems conceiving due to hypothyroid issues, but I think she also had diabetes and things like that which added to the problems. I don't think it cause her any problems with miscarriage, but I am not sure what drugs she took during pregnancy for it. It is definitely worth getting checked out, even if it is nothing. Years ago my dr thought I had hyperthyroidism and I had to get bloodwork and also a thyroid scan and uptake test.
Funny you brought this up. I think I might have some sort of thyroid issue too. Years ago I had some bloodwork and they saw that my thyroid levels were slightly elevated, but nothing was really done about it. Its definitely something I want to talk to my RE about. Thanks for reminding me! :) Hope you are doing ok.
I'm new here, so let me start out by saying that I'm sorry for your loss.
Yes, I have hypothyroidism, and yes, it affects my fertility. Mostly in that I was already overweight (leading to ovulatory problems from the extra estrogen) when I was diagnosed, and the sluggish metabolism makes it harder to take the weight off to correct the ovulation issues. My doctor said that the hypothyroidism could have had something to do with my m/c's as well though.
Just a word of advice: When you go to have your bloodwork done, make sure they test for both TSH and free T4. They're both important numbers in terms of diagnosis, but a lot of labs will only test for TSH unless you specify that you want both results.
When they do your TSH don't accept them saying it's "normal", get the number. Most labs say anything .3 to 5 is normal and some say .3 to 3 is normal. BUT, you should be between 2-2.5 while TTC.
In Feb 08 I was 4.8 and considered normal and by July 09 I was 7.4 and finally labeled with hypothyroidism. I'm not pregnant yet, but my TSH is finally at .48. So that's one more thing that is no longer wrong with me. (I got my fasting Insulin down to 5.4 and am now normal due to Metformin for PCOS)
Delurking and wanted to say I really like your blog. I have had a lot of the same feelings as you after my losses and its comforting to know I'm not alone.
On the thyroid thing, my RPL doctor says what BS said about 2.0-2.5. Mine came back 2.5 and she made me recheck it. She also wants to check in at 5w if/when I get pregnant again.
Also, one of my good friends had her thyroid removed year ago, and had a really hard time getting pregnant and miscarried once. She just gave birth to twins (IVF), and they kept her hyper for the treatment/birth. She definitely thinks the thyroid played a role in the infertility thing.
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