HI MOMS! I am 6 weeks pregnant and last week found out I have Graves Disease. My thyroid makes too much thyroid hormone and they put me on meds to decrees the production. They also found that my progesterone was low so I'm now on that too. I'm 35 yo and had a miscarriage in July 2007 so I am now a "high risk" pregnancy. The doctors assure me that all is being done to make this pregnancy work and have a beautiful baby at the end of the nine months but I tend to worry too much. I am trying to be careful of lifting (I have a 2 yo and 7 yo too!), my husband carries the giant laundry loads down stairs and as I do laundry I carry small loads up, I am avoiding almost all caffeine, watching what I eat and drinking am taking all my meds includin a prenatal vitamin when I'm suppose too. My question is this... have you or someone you have know delivered a healthy baby when mom had graves disease or hyperthyroid? also what else should I do to decrease my miscarriage chance? Please NO HORROR STORIES!!! I look forward to advice and help but can't handle the bad right now. Thanks ahead of time!!!
Hanna Maria was born July 29th, 2009. I was induced 4 days past my due date because of low amniotic fluid. She was healthy and strong. She was 7 lb 14.5 ounces. She had a "true knot" in her ambilical cord and the doctor said most babies with a true know die in utero or at birth when it tightens down and closes the ambilical cord. She is now almost 9 months old and a live wire. She crawls, climbs and wants to walk. She has 5 teeth and 3 on the way and rounds out our family perfectly. Hanna is a miracle in our life. She should never had been conceived because of my thyroid, and she should have never made it to or through birth but she is amazing and we are so blesed!!!
A very good friend of mine had a normal pregnancy and a very healthy little boy with Graves disease! It CAN be done, and without ANY issues!! Good luck!
Hi there,
My daughter is now 16 month's old....I had Graves Disease before I got pregnant and carried her until full term (no meds,my choice) and she is as healthy as a button :) remember hun your graves disease is caused by stress so dont let it worry you night and day im sure everything will be fine xxxx
A.,
I too had a low progesterone count along with many other problems and had to go to an infertility/reproductive endocrinologist specialist who put me on a special compounded micronized progesterone for the first trimester which helped. This doctor is now practicing out in California but will gladly do a telephone consult or give you some direction. I call her all the time, but we are very good friends. She did a lot for me and because of her I now have 2 more beautiful boys who are 12 and 10 (as of tomorrow). Her name is Dr. Deborah Metzger, go to her website www.harmonywomenshealth.com/ Trust me when I tell you she is brilliant and I know she will give you some guidance. To this day she is still helping me out even thought I had a hysterectomy 5 years ago. Right now I am in menopause and have her helping me with the side effects of it as well as the cyst in my breast. LOL She has been know to call my gynecologist and tell him what to do, as she does not always go with the traditional approach, but she always produces results. Hope this helps. Let me know how you make out and tell her I told you to contact her. I wouldn't refer you or anyone to her if she wasn't worth it.
Hugs,
T.
A good friend of mine also had Graves disease and had a baby boy January 2005. He is a very healthy and happy little boy. The pregnancy was fine as well as labor and delivery.
i had hyperthyroidism with my last pregnancy which was a set of twins. i had to see an endocrinologist that did some test and ultimately they put me on a drug called PTU. it can cross the placenta, so i was monitored frequently. everything turned out fine. sometimes as the pregnancy progresses, the symptoms disappear and they will take you off the PTU, not sure if that will be an option for you. just make sure that whoever delivers your baby and any pediatric doctors know that you had hyperthyroidism because they will need to monitor the baby. my twins are both healthy. i wouldn't worry, you and the baby will be fine!
hello A., My name is D. and I have graves diease. I just finished reading an article about 2 women who had graves while pregnant. Their pregnancies were completely healthy. They said that as long as you are being monitored once a month, then once a week the last month, everything should be fine. The baby may have a temporary case of hyper , but it all cleanses out within a week of being out of mommy. Don't worry, as long as you are being healthy and lightly exercising you and your baby will be great!
I have a good friend with that and it's completely manageable!! All went fine with her and in fact, she is well enough to start to get weaned off the medication...
Good luck and relax - take good care of yourself and think positively. :)
Other women also face challenges during pregnancy and childbirth...that's why you have excellent medical care. Use your intuition if something is off...
I had my son at 43 (4 years ago). I had Graves, and later in the pregnancy got Gestational Diabetes too. No big deal. I just took my morning pill for the thyroid and had an easy diet for the diabetes. It was an extremely easy and enjoyable pregnancy for me. I just made sure I didn't lift heavy weights and took my naps when I was tired. Our son is a happy and healthy kid and the joy of our lives.
Hi A.
I have a friend at work who also has hypothyroidism and lets just say that this month her son will celebrate his first birthday. He was born healthy and is doing great. She was monitored closely and considered High risk, but she just took it easy. She also has a twelve year old son.
M.
I have hypothyroidism diagnosed with it in 1995 (after SOME time of trying to figure out what was wrong with me). I have a superbly healthy almost 11 year old and had a fantastic pregnancy. Just take your meds and try not to get too crazy. This is a completely manageable disease if you take your meds! Best of luck to you!
Hi A.
Congrats
God bless you
My twin pregnancy was rocky. 19 weeks of complete bed rest,(bathroom privileges some of those weeks not others) but twin girls were born a bit early(38wks) but weighed in at 5'11" and 6'8". I just continued to do what the OB said and fought him on nothing. My theory was that if I did all I could I would have no regrets. My prayer continued throughout the pregnancy to be "there is a time to be born and this isn't it Lord" and that is my prayer for you.
God bless you and your lovely family
K. SAHM married 38 years. --- adult children 37,32, and 18. The twins are in college now after graduating from our homeschool.
I have thyroid disease. I've had it for 10 years now. Just make sure that they test your TSH levels every 3 months during your pregnancy. Do not miss any doses of your meds. Your baby pulls from your thyroid so make sure you take them everyday. But don't worry! Everything worked out great for me. I have a very healthy and beautiful baby girl. But since I have the disease when she gets older she will have to be tested from time to time. They check you and your baby when it's born for thyroid problems. Everything will work out fine. Keep doing what you are doing. Take your time, don't push yourself and do everything the doctor tells you to do. Best of Luck to you!
My sister-in-law had a thyroid problem (not sure if it was hyper or hypo, but it's the one that makes you really skinny) and it took almost 2 years for her to get pregnant, but her daughter was born perfectly healthy, although about 3 weeks early. But that was because my sister-in-law never had a normal cycle and didn't really have an accurate due date. My niece is now an energetic, tall and very smart 2 1/2 year-old. It sounds like you are taking good care of yourself. Just listen to your body and to your doctor and everything will be fine. And just because you had one miscarriage does not mean that you will have problems in the future. I know several people who this happened to and they went on to have healthy kids, including my mother (I'm one of 3). Good luck!
Hi A.,
A friend of mine had a miscarriage, and in an attempt to find out why she had some tests. This was 5 years ago so forgive me for not remembering the details, but I do know that it had something to do with her thyroid...one of the things that showed up in her was graying skin on her neck (sound familiar??). Anyway, I don't know if this is graves, but she had to take some hormones and other things and she now has two beautiful, perfectly healthy children. So, if any of that sounds like what you are going through, hopefully you will find some comfort in that. I wish you all the best. I'm pregnant now too, 6 months, and know how stressful it can be to worry about health problems during pregnancy...I was just diagnosed with high blood pressure and my daughter had Parvovirus a month ago which I found out can be dangerous when you're pregnant.
D.
step mom to 1, mother to 4
Join this site.. I write for it.. but it is all abotu invisible illness like Graves
M good friend Michelle had the same thing. Today, Ella Rose is just one years old and driving her 3 year old brother, Ryan batty by stealing Christmas ornaments off the tree and running around laughing hysterically. She is healthy and happy and Michelle was just fine throughout the pregnancy.You are doing everything that you can do and you are doing all the right things. Just stay positive!
My mom had an overactive thyroid(Grave's Disease) during her pregnancy with my sister(she is 32 yrs old) and the doctor didn't put her on any medication until after my sister was born. She didn't have a history of miscarriages and my sister was born healthy.
I was pregnant with an underactive thyroid(Hashimoto's disease)and my progesterone level was low in the beginning of my pregnancy too. I took progesterone suppositories for about a month and everything turned out okay.I know that your posting is for Grave's disease, but I wanted to share my story since I am on the other end of thyroid disease. I took Levoxyl throughout my pregnancy and I was referred to an endocrinologist to monitor my levels. My suggestion to you, in regards to reducing your chances of a miscarriage, would be to take your medication when you are supposed to and make sure your levels are being monitored(which I am sure they are)regularly. Good luck!
