[ccshortyishere]

#1059677

Hi All,
This is my first time jumping in and talking i am still learning about this due to my sister has it and i am trying to more know about what she is going through but i just have one question that i was hoping someone might be able to answer for me. She told me that she and her husband are thinking about having another baby and i am really concerned on how that is going to affect her with her just seaming to get better health wise on the meds the doctor has her on and i know that you may not be able to take some of the meds when you are pregnant so can anyone give me some advise on this or any info you can?
Thanks so much
Christina

[Kimberly]

#1176709

Hello and thank you for being a great advocate for your sister! Her first priority will be to make sure that her levels are stable before trying to conceive, as being either hypo or hyper during pregnancy can be risky for both mother and baby. If she is taking anti-thyroid drugs, there is an increased risk of a couple of specific birth defects with Methimazole/Tapazole. There is another anti-thyroid drug called PTU that can be used during the first trimester. Women who are pregnant and have Graves’ are usually advised to use PTU during the first trimester and then switch back to Methimazole after the first trimester. (Methimazole has a better safety track record than PTU, especially related to liver issues, so it is usually the preferred drug).

Your sister will also want to be aware of the need for antibody testing. The latest guidance recommends testing antibodies in *all* pregnant women with a present or past history of Graves’ (regardless of treatment) at the 20-24 week mark, with the involvement of a maternal-fetal specialist recommended if antibodies are extremely elevated.

We do have some success stories here with members who have conceived after a Graves’ diagnosis, so hopefully, some of those folks will chime in here.

Hope this helps!

[LaurelM]

#1176710

Hi,

I just posted a really long response about pregnancy on the post from Megtimhart and then saw your post about pregnancy too. I’ve written a few times about the topic. You can search on my user name. Thanks for being an advocate for your sister. As a patient, it is always nice to have someone else you trust helping to find answers.

Laurel

[Emhannah]

#1176711

Hi! I have had Hashimoto’s Disease for the past 4 years and now I am 18 weeks pregnant and it has changed to Graves Disease per my endocrinologist. Just this week I tested positive to the antibodies and so now I will begin seeing a high risk Obgyn. We are waiting for blood work to come back and for my endocrinologist to confer with a colleague as to if I will begin the medication since I just lost 8 lbs since my last appointment 3 weeks ago. How do I find out how common this is since I am considered a “swinger” between Hypo and Hyper? Are there any articles published that specifically discuss in detail about Pregnancy and Graves disease?

Thank you for any help you can offer!

[Kimberly]

#1176712

@Emhannah – Hello and welcome! Hopefully, this guidance document from the American Thyroid Association will be of interest. I don’t believe it specifically addresses swinging hypo/hyper, but it does have a nice section on Graves’ disease:

(Note on links: if you click directly on the following link, you will need to use your browser’s “back” button to return to the boards after viewing, or you will have to log back in to the forum. As an alternative, you can right-click the link and open it in a new tab or new window).

http://thyroidguidelines.net/sites/thyroidguidelines.net/files/file/thy.2011.0087.pdf

The section on Graves’ starts on page 1094 of the original journal article (or page 14 if you download as a pdf). In particular, definitely take a look at the guidelines on antibody testing, which is recommended at 20-24 weeks for patients with a current or past history of Graves’.

Hope this helps – wishing you all the best!

[Megtimhart]

#1176713

My wife and i were trying to concieve for 2yrs and went through 2 miscarriages before she was dianosed with graves diease. As soon as we told the endocronologist about it she tolds us to stop trying. They recomoned you do not concieve untill your thyroid is stable and even then it is considered a high risk pregnancy. All the doctors we talked to and the research we did pointed to surgery. My wife is having her thryoid removed on monday.
Meg&tim

[Emhannah]

#1176714

Megtimhart wrote:

My wife and i were trying to concieve for 2yrs and went through 2 miscarriages before she was dianosed with graves diease. As soon as we told the endocronologist about it she tolds us to stop trying. They recomoned you do not concieve untill your thyroid is stable and even then it is considered a high risk pregnancy. All the doctors we talked to and the research we did pointed to surgery. My wife is having her thryoid removed on monday.
Meg&tim

I’m sorry to hear about that! I hope that the surgery went well. Unfortunately, all through my last pregnancy I was Hypo and I didn’t find out that I was Hyper until this pregnancy (2 years later.) I’m now 20 weeks and positive for the antibody that passes to the baby so I will begin seeing my high risk OB next week. Good luck with future pregnancies!!!
Emily

[Kimberly]

#1176715

Emhannah wrote:

I’m now 20 weeks and positive for the antibody that passes to the baby so I will begin seeing my high risk OB next week. Good luck with future pregnancies!!! Emily

@Emily – Sounds like your docs are already familiar with the guidelines in the link posted above…that’s good news! Wishing you all the best!

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