[Kimberly]

#1061648

Hello – I’ve actually heard two different stories on birth control pills. One is that birth control pills can interfere with the absorption of thyroid replacement hormone, and the other is that birth control pills can “bind” the free thyroid hormone in the body, thus rendering it inactive.

We do have a member here who had a significant hypER episode after discontinuing birth control pills. I would suggest talking to your doctor about getting some lab tests done a few weeks after you stop the birth control pills, just to see if your dose of replacement hormone needs to be adjusted.

Best of luck!

[craftylady]

#1017922

Hello all. I have kind of an odd question. I am ready to go off of my birth control pill (lets just say we arent having any more kids and my hubby took care of this on his end). Is it okay to do so? I was diagnosed with Graves Disease in April 2010, RAI in May 2010, and, after a couple of dose changes have been stable on .125 levoxyl since January (and feeling GREAT!). The reason I ask about the birth control is I seem to remember reading something about the levox binding to the birth control, and when you go off of the birth control, it can cause your numbers to creep up again? Is this true or am I just remembering incorrectly? Crazy question, I know – but I know this is a safe place to ask all sorts of things. I visit the forum frequently to read the stories and questions, it helps immeasurably to know that I have not been going through this alone.

[craftylady]

#1061649

Thank you Kimberly for your quick reply – I will contact my doctor this coming week!

[kristi7877]

#1061650

Hello, I was diagnosed with Graves Disease in 2007 and after going back and forth with levels all over the place I had a total thyroidectomy back in March 2010. I swear my onset of graves was birth control related, I could be wrong or its coincidental but I found when I was not on birth control my levels were in normal range and as soon as I went back on they went all hay wire again and I was miserable which prompted me to have it taken out. Best of Luck to you.

[Krisann79]

#1061651

Well I can’t speak on the b.control but what I can say is that I was recently pregnant and during that time my symptoms were INSANE! I don’t just mean the regular ones either. My levels were pulled and I had gone hypo. It was the worst I’ve ever felt in my entirel life Lol! No joke. So what I’m saying here is that basically……….. I don’t see why it wouldn’t throw things off. Also my levothyroxine pamphelet says to let your Dr know if you’re taking this med + bc because it may have effects.

[Ski]

#1061652

We do know that pregnancy tends to make things worse, after you’ve delivered. Theories abound, but we do know the immune system "quiets" during pregnancy to allow the foreign body (baby) to survive, and it seems that afterward the immune system ramps up back to normal ~ and maybe beyond? – which exaggerates the symptoms and makes it appear that the situation was "caused" by the pregnancy.

There’s no question that reproductive hormones play some role interacting with thyroid hormone in the bloodstream, so no matter what our status, we should be checking levels when something changes reproductively (adolescence, pregnancy, menopause, or birth control status if it depends upon a reproductive hormone).

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