Thryoid and Pregnancy

Updated on July 25, 2008
M.E. asks from Chicago, IL
11 answers

I just found out I have an underactive thyroid and it was probably like that during my pregnancy. Could this have affected my baby (who's now 9 months old) in any way (me not producing enough thyroid hormone)? Does anyone know? Has this happened to anyone else? Thanks so much for your replies...I am a bit worried, even though my daughters seems very healthy now.

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M.M.

answers from Chicago on

For thyroid disease, when a child is born, thats one of the first things they test for at the hospital. If the thyroid issue did affect her, you would have known by now :)

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D.C.

answers from Chicago on

ME TOO!!! I found the exact same thing out with my throid not until 3 months after my son was born. If your doc told you your pumpkin is fine, then she is. I questioned the same thing when my son was born (he just turned one, and healthy as ever!!) and searched online and got books from the library to make sure...and yup, the doc is right! I'm taking medicine now for the rest of my because of it, but you should just be glad your doctor found it out now instead of later for you and your health. Check out your local library for some books to look into it for you. I found a website too, I think its www.maryshomon.com or something, or she's the author. She has a really good book out too I got from the library. No worries, your baby will be fine!

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B.B.

answers from Chicago on

Well, you could have something called post-partum throiditits. That is what I have. Something about your pregnancy causes you to become hyperthyroid about 2 months post-partum (which is easy to miss, what with a new baby and all) and then crash a few weeks later and become temporarily or permanently hypo-thyroid. We discovered this after my second child, when I was in the hypo phase. It recurred with my 3rd and fourth pregnancies, and now the Dr. thinks I will remain permanently hypo. I would recomend seeing an endocrinologist for your hypothyroidism, if you want to have more children. As far as your baby being healthy, well, the proof is in the pudding, right? :o)

A bit about me....Homeschooling, SAHM of 4, ages 12, 9,7, and 3.

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L.F.

answers from Chicago on

Hi M.!
I have an overactive thyroid. My doctor and I think that it developed after the birth of my first son. I have a 10 and 8 year old, very healthy and happy boys. So, I would not worry about your thyroid having affected your daughter. By the way, it is not uncommon for women to develop a thyroid issue after the birth of one child and continue to have more healthy children before being diagnosed. My type of disorder is genetic and both my mom and sister have it. My sister has had two children since going on medication. They are now 8 and 4 years old and very healthy and happy.
L. F

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S.D.

answers from Chicago on

M.,It has been 20 years since my last baby. From what I remember, your body nourishes the baby she takes what she needs from you, and that includes depleting what you have until she is born. Not that she is to blame for this.;) I too have an under active thyroid. I take armour thyroid which is a natural supplement, along with a small dose of potassium iodide later in the day. Our soil has been so depleted of essential nutrients because of the over use of pesticides, pollution, genetically modified foods that we do not get the iodine or minerals we need from our food any more. OR from iodized salt. You would never get enough. Sorry, don't get me started! I could go on and on. I have serious thyroid problems and did a lot of research. Your best bet would be to call your baby's pediatrician and speak to the nurse of your concerns, and your own doctor. 2 opinions never hurt. S.

T.B.

answers from Chicago on

Hi M.,
I would not worry if your daughter is doing fine. If you ever wanted to get pregnant again, it would be important to be on some type of thyroid replacement, and let your endocrinologist know that you are trying to get pregnant so they could up your dose a bit for the baby. Babies rely on us for their thyroid hormone for the first 12 weeks of life after that they are able to produce their own.
I just found out I am hypothyroid and probably was when I was pregnant. So far, my son is developing normally and is a very bright little boy.

T.

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S.E.

answers from Chicago on

The answer is NO... I found out that I have an under active thyroid right after I had my son. He is now 17 years old (tomorrow 18 years old)and he is normal in every way. He is 6'2" and 225 lbs of solid muscle. Graduated from High School in June, played football, wrestled, was in the varsity choir. He has always been very healthy except for needing tubes in his ears. He has no problem with his thyroid. I think you will find out that it will not effect your daughter either.

Best of Luck,
S.

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J.W.

answers from Chicago on

Your thyroid does go through a lot during pregnancy and is typical that it is supressed or underactive postpartum, up to a year! Key is to try and get it stablized so you don't have to be on meds for the rest of your life.

I agree, I want the best for my baby too! Especially when it comes to her health! Have you thought about using coconut oil for you and your family? It has gotten a bad rap as a bad fat, however, it is great for your thyroid (among one of the many benefits) and for babies/children. I have attached a couple of articles for you to view:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2003/1...

This one is about foods that can actually supress your thyroid:

http://www.ithyroid.com/goitrogens.htm

Eating soy can suppress your thyroid too, so avoid all soy based products.

The interesting thing about coconut oil is that it has lauric acid (a fat) that is found in breastmilk...and most formulas have coconut oil in it!

I cook my now one year old, her foods in coconut oil. And the coconut milk ice cream (vanilla bean flavor) is wonderful and high in fiber.

If you have any more questions, let me know. Good luck!

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L.W.

answers from Chicago on

I also have an underactive thyroid and have been told the only thing that it can affect is your child's IQ score and only very mildly by 2 or 3 points! So overall it is nothing to be worried about! I have three girls 2.5 and 5.5 yrs old and they all are doing great! We don't notice any problems with their learning abilities or anything else for that matter.

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C.S.

answers from Chicago on

"From what I remember, your body nourishes the baby she takes what she needs from you, and that includes depleting what you have until she is born"

This is NOT correct. Your baby is not a parasite and cannot extract anything from you that you do not feed your body regularly.

If you were going to see a problem- you would have known by now. Please don't worry unduly about this.

I am hypothyroid and have had 2 fantastic kids. I know several women who were diagnosed late in pregnancy or postpartum who children are fine as well.

Just take care of yourself and enjoy your little one!

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C.T.

answers from Chicago on

I had the exact thing happen to me and I am now taking medication to regulate my thyroid. If your daughter was going to experience any problems, she definitely would have been diagnosed already. It's funny because my little one is also 9 months old and had her checkup yesterday. She is perfectly healthy and happy. So stop worrying (which I often do myself) and just worry about taking good care of yourself so you can keep being an awesome mom!!

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