Thyroid issus postpartum?

[Anonymous]

I'm wondering if anyone discovered a thyroid issue postpartum?

Since DC arrival, I have become too tired to do exercise outside of our daily walks. I've actually gained 20lbs despite breastfeeding. Pre-pregnancy, I had some issues with hormone imbalances, including a slightly sluggish thyroid. I had been thinking I would feel better as I am able to get more sleep, but I find I still feel completely exhausted despite the more regular sleep. Now 9 months postpartum.

I had thought these symptoms were just new mommyhood, but they don't seem to be improving. Did anyone here discover thryoid issue after having a baby? If so, what were your sumptoms?

[Anonymous]

I discovered hypothyroidism "by accident" at my first postpartum ob checkup. I didn't really have symptoms though. Apparently thyroid issues postpartum are very common. Why don't you get bloodwork done at you regular doctor or ob? You'll be able to rule it out (or not) very easily.

[Anonymous]

Definitely get your thyroid checked - I have had hypothyroidism for years, and got checks pretty frequently after delivery because thyroid function tends to go haywire then. Even if its unrelated to the baby, thyroid problems often surface in your 20s and 30s. I would definitely get it checked out. It's easy. But ask for your TSH - if you feel like garbage and you have subclinical hypothyroidism (TSH around 5, for example) you might still benefit from treatment; you might want to see an endocrinologist, who can run more tests.

[Anonymous]

OP here. My thyroid issue pre-pregnancy was subclinical. Rather complicated story including several visits to three doctors. Guess I'm concerned about starting any regimen now while still breastfeeding, especially b/c I'm only a few months away from the year mark. (One doctor prescribed a high dose of iodine, which had some rather awful results.) I do plan to return to the last doctor to see what he recommends, but I'm also wondering what other people's experiences might have been.

[Anonymous]

Iodine? Seriously? If you are hypo, then they would put you on synthriod or something similar. Synthriod is one of the few category A drugs, so if I was prescribed it I would be fine with beeastfeeding.

[Anonymous]

i discovered that i had hypothyroidism after my first pregnancy when my periods were completely irregular and i went to have it checked. i also felt very sluggish but i'm still not sure that was attributable to my thyroid crapping out.

it turned out that i have hashimoto's and hypothyroidism. it took several months of experimenting with the proper dose of lexapro to stabilize my hormones, but now i am fine. and was medicated through a subsequent pregnancy and breastfeeding my dc. i have never heard that lexapro/synthroid is incompatible with nursing. and i'm not sure why they would put you on iodine.

i see dr. cohen at gw and i think he is fantastic.

[Anonymous]

Synthroid (levothyroxin) is just a synthetic form of the T4 hormone your body already makes (or would be making if you weren't hypo). So it's completely fine to take during pregnancy and BF. It can actually be harmful to the fetus's brain development to not take it.

I was diagnosed with hypo several years before getting pregnant, and treatment resolved both depression and asthma-like shortness of breath I had spent years and thousands of dollars trying to fix. Stunning--and the pills are SO cheap.

I see Dr. Stagnero-Green at GWU--he specializes in thyroid issues in pregnancy. Highly recommended.