# Thyroid and pregnancy.



## ifthespiritmovesme (Jan 8, 2014)

Hi -

Strange thing in my family...Mother (RA), sister (hyperthyroid-thyroid removed), and me (hypo). When we become pregnant, we gain very little weight (like 13 lbs.) and at delivery lose 40-50 lbs. The joke between us is that if we want to lose weight, we should just get pregnant.

Finding out that the immune system is suppressed during pregnancy (?) makes sense to me why this is happening. If we are suffering from autoimmune diseases, when the immune system is suppressed, our thyroid, etc. is actually able to function properly. Any opinions on this??

Thanks!


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## Airmid (Apr 24, 2013)

During pregnancy there are so many changes happening in the body, including some protective ones for the mother. Some autoimmune disease do go into a pseudo-remission (such as endometriosis for many women) while others suddenly flare their angry heads for the first time, like some of the women here and Graves disease.

The mother's immune system function is a really complex area during pregnancy and it would be a bit misleading to say it was generally suppressed overall. It's been found to be slightly suppressed compared to a non-pregnant state but there's still all kinds of on going research as to just how suppressed, why this may be (perhaps partially due to the actions of placenta so that the mother does not reject the baby that genetically differs from her is one theory) and how much of a role this plays in pregnant women being vulnerable to certain viruses and infections.

It's a really interesting field of study since it's such a unique state and it may have something to do with why some women find relief from autoimmune disease. That being said, other women have intense flares or their first flare of an autoimmune disease during pregnancy. For decades, pregnancy was touted as being a "cure" for Endometriosis as for many women it at least got rid of the symptoms during the pregnancy (as for many they wax and wane with the menstrual cycle) and some studies were showing that women that had children sometimes had a type of remission. But strangely enough, other women still had symptoms of Endometriosis during pregnancy, and got worse afterwards. Sadly, a complete hysterectomy has also been touted as a cure and for some women they still have issues even after this procedure. (as you may have noticed I have a soft spot for this since it runs in my family, including my mom who had a complete hysterectomy in her late thirties and newer research has started to show that if a surgeon is able to take all of it out it doesn't grow back as previously thought. The trick is getting it all and I hope that views treating it, including the intense hormone therapies, will at least slowly start to change).

All in all, it almost seems like a crap-shoot regarding pregnancy and autoimmune disorders. I hope in the near future they find answers as to why some women go into remission while others flare with the exact same disease. It brings up a whole host of questions and I'm sure genetics plays a big role.


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## ifthespiritmovesme (Jan 8, 2014)

Thanks for your reply! I've been reading about this, and had heard from some women who have had a similar experience. Most of their pregnancy-related symptoms went away after a few months. Some became hypo permanently. I was hypo before pregnancy, and seemed normal (not hypo) throughout the pregnancy and after giving birth. I stayed thin after for 10 years before I started gaining weight.

At least I now know I am not the only one besides my family this happens to...I, too, hope they find out more about this subject!

Thanks again!!


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