Re: I'm pregnant and wondering when I should increase my dose.

[Guest guest]

Congratulations on your pregnancy and I sincerely hope

everything goes well, which it should do. However, I would highly recommend

that you need to put something down in writing to your GP and ask for your

letter to be placed into your medical notes.

Tell him that now you are pregnant, you wish to be referred in

the first place, to an obstetrician and would he please refer you as a matter

of urgency.

Next, list all of your symptoms and signs. Take your temperature

for 4 or 5 mornings before you get out of bed and if they are lower than 97.8

degrees F (36.6 degrees F), list these too.

Next, list ALL the thyroid function tests you need, which should

include TSH, free T4 and free T3. Ask also for the following blood tests to be

done to see whether any of these are low in the reference range@ Ferritin,

vitamin B12, vitamin D3, magnesium, folate, copper and zinc. Ask for the

results of all these blood tests together with the reference range for each

test done. Should any of the latter tests be low in the reference range, this

will stop the thyroid hormone from being properly utilised at the cellular

level - so you would need to supplement whatever you are low in.

Next mention that research has shown that for those with

Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, they should not be treated with the mainly INACTIVE

thyroid hormone T4, but should be treated with some form of the ACTIVE thyroid

hormone triiodothyronine (T3) either synthetic or the natural thyroid extract

and that you wish for a trial of this. Tell him that you are learning that there

is a large minority of sufferers who are unable to convert T4 into T3.

Ask for a referral to an endocrinologist of your choice (I will

send you a list of 'good' doctors recommended by our members). Just give the

doctor the name and hospital where s/he works). You do not have to go to an

endocrinologist at your local hospital, especially if there is nobody there who

knows about thyroid disease, as most endocrinologists have diabetes as their

specialty.

Ask for the letter to be put into your medical notes, send a

copy to the Head of Practice and keep a copy yourself in case this is needed at

a later date.

Ask for a written response within the next 10 working days.

Good luck - doctors do pay more attention to the written word,

because they know it can be produced later if they don't do anything, whereas

in a face to face consultation, what is said is between you, the doctor and the

closed door.

Meanwhile, have a look at the information here: http://www.suite101.com/content/risks-to-the-baby-in-a-hashimotos-pregnancy-a123873

Luv - Sheila

I just wanted to ask if there are any other pregnant women out there, or if you

had a pregnancy when you were hypothyroid, when did you have to increase your

dose? I would like to try NDT but not now when I am pregnant because I don't

want my hormones levels to fluctuate. Also I have the most arrogant and

ignorant gps on the planet and he has consistently refused to refer me to an

endo so I don't really know how I'm going to afford an endo privately.

Please help.

Shameema

[Guest guest]

Tell him that you are learning that there is a large minority of sufferers who are unable to convert T4 into T3

Has anybody got any figures about this? I have heard that up to 85% of Hashimoto's disease sufferers are unable to convert T4 to T3. It would be interesting to find out because this problem seems to be very current and is often dismissed as a very minor side issue of hypothyroidism. My GP had not even heard of RT3. It's only when I told him that you could get a test for it that he believed me. I shall try and find out where I read about the 85% and see if there is an article or publication.

MacGilchrist

From: Sheila <sheila@...>thyroid treatment Sent: Mon, 16 May, 2011 12:15:16Subject: RE: I'm pregnant and wondering when I should increase my dose.

Congratulations on your pregnancy and I sincerely hope everything goes well, which it should do. However, I would highly recommend that you need to put something down in writing to your GP and ask for your letter to be placed into your medical notes.

Tell him that now you are pregnant, you wish to be referred in the first place, to an obstetrician and would he please refer you as a matter of urgency.

Next, list all of your symptoms and signs. Take your temperature for 4 or 5 mornings before you get out of bed and if they are lower than 97.8 degrees F (36.6 degrees F), list these too.

Next, list ALL the thyroid function tests you need, which should include TSH, free T4 and free T3. Ask also for the following blood tests to be done to see whether any of these are low in the reference range@ Ferritin, vitamin B12, vitamin D3, magnesium, folate, copper and zinc. Ask for the results of all these blood tests together with the reference range for each test done. Should any of the latter tests be low in the reference range, this will stop the thyroid hormone from being properly utilised at the cellular level - so you would need to supplement whatever you are low in.

Next mention that research has shown that for those with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, they should not be treated with the mainly INACTIVE thyroid hormone T4, but should be treated with some form of the ACTIVE thyroid hormone triiodothyronine (T3) either synthetic or the natural thyroid extract and that you wish for a trial of this. .

Ask for a referral to an endocrinologist of your choice (I will send you a list of 'good' doctors recommended by our members). Just give the doctor the name and hospital where s/he works). You do not have to go to an endocrinologist at your local hospital, especially if there is nobody there who knows about thyroid disease, as most endocrinologists have diabetes as their specialty.

Ask for the letter to be put into your medical notes, send a copy to the Head of Practice and keep a copy yourself in case this is needed at a later date.

Ask for a written response within the next 10 working days.

Good luck - doctors do pay more attention to the written word, because they know it can be produced later if they don't do anything, whereas in a face to face consultation, what is said is between you, the doctor and the closed door.

Meanwhile, have a look at the information here: http://www.suite101.com/content/risks-to-the-baby-in-a-hashimotos-pregnancy-a123873

Luv - Sheila

I just wanted to ask if there are any other pregnant women out there, or if you had a pregnancy when you were hypothyroid, when did you have to increase your dose? I would like to try NDT but not now when I am pregnant because I don't want my hormones levels to fluctuate. Also I have the most arrogant and ignorant gps on the planet and he has consistently refused to refer me to an endo so I don't really know how I'm going to afford an endo privately.Please help.Shameema

[Guest guest]

Hi there, i would increase to 300mcg now and as you need to increase by 50mcg over the dose you are usually on while pregnant. stay on this until after the birth about two weeks and then slowly 25mcg at a time over two weeks reduce the dose back to the dose you where on before getting pregnant. also take 200mcg of selenium-this is important as this will help to protect the baby from the auto-antibodies that are activewhile pregnant. Angel.

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I have uploaded a new file called " hypo & pregnancy " which is the Hormone

FOundation's guide to the management of maternal hypothyroidism during

pregnancy. It says " once a wonam becomes pregnant they thyroxine dose often

needs to be increadsed, possibly by as much as 30% - 50% in the first 4 - 8

weeks of pregnancy " .

I was on NDT before and during pregnancy and self managed my dose after reading

this article. Interestingly, it was not until week 12 of my pregnancy that I

saw a specialist past the time the dose should have been increased for the

wellbeing of the baby.

[Guest guest]

Thanks for this Angel. Do you mean I need to increase it by 50%? I'm going to try and go up slowly as I went hyper once and that was frightening, Also I have lost confidence as everyone is telling me not to self adjust my dose.What do you think?ShameemaFrom: judith franklin <angel47572000@...>"thyroid treatment "

<thyroid treatment >Sent: Mon, 16 May, 2011 11:51:59Subject: Re: I'm pregnant and wondering when I should increase my dose.

Hi there, i would increase to 300mcg now and as you need to increase by 50mcg over the dose you are usually on while pregnant. stay on this until after the birth about two weeks and then slowly 25mcg at a time over two weeks reduce the dose back to the dose you where on before getting pregnant. also take 200mcg of selenium-this is important as this will help to protect the baby from the auto-antibodies that are activewhile pregnant. Angel.

[Guest guest]

worked out that there are approximately 250,000 such

sufferers in the UK alone who are being denied the thyroid hormone that would

help make them well, which is the active thyroid hormone T3 - and millions

world wide. Can you step in here please?

Luv - Sheila

Tell him that you are learning

that there is a large minority of sufferers who are unable to convert T4 into

T3

Has anybody got any figures about this? I have heard

that up to 85% of Hashimoto's disease sufferers are unable to convert T4 to

T3. It would be interesting to find out because this problem seems to be

very current and is often dismissed as a very minor side issue of

hypothyroidism. My GP had not even heard of RT3. It's only when I

told him that you could get a test for it that he believed me. I shall

try and find out where I read about the 85% and see if there is an article or

publication.

MacGilchrist