[Anonymous March 15, 1997 at 9:12 pm Post count: 93172]

#1056557

I was just diagnosed with Grave’s disease and fear it may interupt plans on starting a family. Does anyone know how long one must wait to get pregnant after receiving RAI?

My radiation tech says 1 year. My doctor suggests that 1 year may be overkill.

I’m currently awaiting a meeting with an endo-doc. Any answers while during the interim?

Many thanks.

[Anonymous March 16, 1997 at 5:05 am Post count: 93172]

#1163741

Katie — I don’t know that any of us can tell you. I’m sure that the amount of time you must wait after RAI to get pregnant isn’t just an arbitrary number pulled out of a hat, but only your doctors can tell you what factors they are considering when they tell you that. I would suspect that it has something to do with the average amount of time it takes to get solidly stabilized on hormone replacement after RAI. That varies with the individual. But it would probably help you to know precisely what factors they are considering when they tell you you must “wait a year” or “wait six months” etc.

[Anonymous March 17, 1997 at 12:03 pm Post count: 93172]

#1163742

“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.

[Anonymous March 17, 1997 at 1:24 pm Post count: 93172]

#1163743

Hi Katie – Both my GP and Radiologist gave me a 6 month waiting period
before trying to conceive. Hope this helps – good luck to you!

[Anonymous November 16, 1998 at 6:27 pm Post count: 93172]

#1163744

I have a question. The info I was given after my RAI said women should not get pregnant for at least 6 months and preferably 12 months after RAI. It did not mention anything about a man waiting before trying to have a child with his wife. Does anyone know if there is any recommended waiting period? I am not sure if the RAI has any effect on the man (reproductively speaking) since he is not carrying the baby.

Thanks,

Steve

[Anonymous November 16, 1998 at 11:46 pm Post count: 93172]

#1163745

Steve–the RAI is excreted through the urinary tract, which passes awfully close to the sperm production centers. I would wait. I would also ask a doctor (which I am not) for advice on this. It’s a good question!

Elisa

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