“One year”is what my wife was told, but we suppose it varies on how you
reacts to treatment & thryoid hormone replacement. My wife was diagnosed
about 7 weeks ago and is very concerned about future pregnancies.
She is on PTU for the time being, but may opt for RAI at some point. We
figured it was worth trying the PTU to let the thyroid go back to normal
on its own (we keep hearing something like 20% chance after 18 mos.).
Endo says if she is able to reduce dosage over time, that’s a good sign,
so we are in a “wait & see” mode.
Doc said she could even be pregnant with PTU, and that GD usually gets
better during a pregnancy, then worse afterward. Initially he said not
to hope too much that PTU would even work because sometimes there are
allergic reactions, etc. There are definitely some medications to
strictly avoid during pregnancy or if any chance exists of it ocurring.
Anyway, back to the point: My wife would prefer not to wait 18 mos. then
having to opt for RAI, then waiting another year before trying for the
next pregnancy. Maybe longer if balance is not achieved right off.
Anyway, that’s our story. We had too many other questions and concerns
to really quiz the doc on future pregnancies, but it will be a recurring
topic as she undergoess treatment.
Just keep asking everyone involved (especially your endo). We are getting
pretty good at this. If you’re not worried about scaring yourself
with unlikely outcomes, keep asking “what-if” questions, or “what could
make it take longer, shorter”, etc.
