# Hashimoto's & Fertility



## nasudhaus (Oct 8, 2012)

Was diagnosed with Hashimoto's 6 years ago at age 23. Once my thyroid became balanced I was on a steady dose of 112mcg for 5 1/2 years with no trouble or fluctuation outside of a normal range.

When my husband and I decided to begin TTC I stopped taking birth control and that was when I swung slightly hyper. After decreasing my dose by 50%, I was briefly normal. 4 weeks later when checked I had become extremely hypo. Synthroid increased to 100mcg. Still hypo 4 weeks later we increased back to 112mcg. Was briefly within normal range 4 weeks later. Another 4 weeks and I was borderline hyper at TSH of .3 with elevated T4. Once again, dosage decreased this time to 100mcg. It has been a total of 7 months of trial and error, and this roller coaster ride has been nothing short of frustrating.

Beyond my thyroid imbalances and addressing my fertility issues, my cycles since coming off birth control began at 50 days in length. They then shortened to 41. Then to 30, and most recently 32 days in length. My concern is my short luteal phase. I began charting my cycles because of their length having initially concerned me that I was having anovulatory cycles. Once confirming I was in fact ovulating I found my luteal phase was consistently 9 days in length.

Progesterone being a problem most commonly associated with a luteal phase defect, I was tested at 7dpo and my progesterone levels were 14.4 and within normal range. Needless to say my progesterone levels rapidly drop and cannot sustain the necessary luteal phase. I'm at a loss for what to do, and if perhaps this is due to Hashimoto's.

Any experience with fertility issues and solutions with Hashimoto's?

Many thanks!


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## smelliebellie (Oct 14, 2012)

nasudhaus,
you were also on birth control along with your synthroid? they didnt interfere at all? and also did you do any diet changes when you were diagnosed?


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## lainey (Aug 26, 2010)

I have a friend with a similar progesterone issue. After several miscarriages, she began careful monitoring while trying to get pregnant, and took progesterone shots starting as soon as pregnancy was detected to sustain the pregnancy in the very early stages.

She had 4 children that way.

That said, estrogens bind thyroid hormones, with the progesterones "releasing" them. Depending on the birth control you were on, this definitely impacts your replacement and your cycles consequently. I don't think your experiences regulating your cycle are necessarily unique to Hashimotos however, this is not uncommon in the general population.

It has only been 7 months--how do you know you have fertility issues? Have you had any miscarriages? It is not uncommon for it to take couples up to a year after stopping birth control to get pregnant.


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## nasudhaus (Oct 8, 2012)

smelliebellie- I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's after having been on birth control for several years. The two never seemed to interfere with one another. It actually didn't take much time to balance my thyroid despite being extraordinarily hypo at the time of diagnosis. I had begun to go into a full system shock. But as far as birth control is concerned I never noticed any interference. Have you heard that there typically is one? My endocrinologist as well as my gynecologist were both aware and never mentioned a problem.

Also, at the time of diagnosis I didn't change much in my diet but I became very aware of what vegetables to avoid and tried to only take them in moderation.

lainey - You are totally right, I could absolutely be overreacting to the amount of time it's taken me thus far. My main concern is the luteal phase defect and if it perhaps is something that may be Hashimoto's related. Despite my cycle lengths varying in consistency and thankfully begining to regulate to a much more typical cycle length my luteal phases have consistently been too short with ovulation typically happening at CD 22, which is quite late. Again, I could absolutely be overreacting, but I figured I would look into the possibilities and solutions that others have found while trying to conceive under these circumstances.

Thanks for the feedback and insight!

Great to hear that with a bit of help from progesterone shots that a pregnancy can be sustained, I suppose I am just trying to get there. My fear is that with my short luteal phase that even if fertilization occurred, my cycle doesn't allow for sufficient time for implantation to occur.

I'm taking supplements such as 100mg of b6 as well as 750mg of vitamin c.


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## lainey (Aug 26, 2010)

I think you're doing an awful lot of analysis on something that is supposed to start out as a little "fun".


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## nasudhaus (Oct 8, 2012)

Haha! Fair enough lainey. Your perspective is appreciated and you're right, perhaps all i need to do is relax. And believe me, it has been loads of fun, not even just a little. That's not where my troubles are. My constantly fluctuating tsh levels and the indication that something may not be working quite right is where my concern is. I'd like to fix the problem.


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## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

I think part of your TSH issues stem from not waiting long enough between increases and decreases. You really should wait 6 weeks, maybe even 8, to get a more accurate reading after a dosage change. Plus...cutting your dosage in half because you were only slighly hyper was a bit too drastic in my opinion. If you were only slightly hyper, you should have only decreased to 100 to begin with, or maybe 88...but cutting your dose in half was a bit too much (or too little...depending how you look at it). It looks like you are on 100 now...if I were you, I'd stick with that for 8 weeks and see how you do. If your labs are only slighly off, then perhaps consider making very small changes, such as alternating between 100 mcg and 112 mcg every other day.

If you keep switching doses based on labs every 4 weeks, you'll be on a rollercoaster and never get off.


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## nasudhaus (Oct 8, 2012)

I totally agree with you Octavia, I shouldn't have cut it in half. That was my mistake to begin with! I was going in ever 4 weeks because that's what my dr was recommending, but at this point we are going to wait 6 weeks to test again.

Question about alternating between 112mcg and 100mcg. Seeing as my dosage was only slightly off at 112mcg I was looking for an in between, but my doctor never recommended alternating, it was either one dosage or another.

Is it acceptable to take 112mcg every other day and alternate it with 100mcg? Because I certainly have both dosages around my house at this point...


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## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

It's totally acceptable, but I think you should wait to see what your 6-week labs say about your 100 mcg dose.


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## surge (Aug 15, 2012)

I'm sorry you are struggling with thyroid numbers and also TTC. It sounds like you've absorbed the slow-and-steady-wins-the-race ethos of this site, which is right on, so I won't belabor that.

I will add this anecdote: I know I'm hypo when my cycle gets very short-- 21 days, as opposed to 28. I felt hyper all summer and even though my numbers said I was normal, I noticed my cycle went back to 4 weeks. Right after I had my thyroid out in November, I went back to the 21 day cycle. Just had another cycle and it had stretched to 25...cycle changes can be related to thyroid (the thyroid is the timing belt of the body and one of the things it does help control is reproductive hormones). There are books for people struggling with thyroid issues and trying to conceive and they'd be worth reading, just to inform yourself. But I'd still try to give yourself another set or two of thyroid labs and see how your body responds to a steady dose.

And it does take 6 months-1 year to normalize off the pill, especially if you were on it for a long time. I think as you get your thyroid re-regulated and as your body adjusts to its own rhythms, you could very well conceive on your own. Patience with yourself and body for a few more months and fingers crossed!

A naturpath might be a good ally. I don't know if you've considered/explored that option. If you still are feeling all over the place in a couple of months...


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