Graves' Disease Support Group

Hi and welcome:

So sorry to read about suffering from the miscarriasge, I had two while I was undagnosed hypOthyroid.

Is the T4 a Free T4?

I have found that it is best to keep thyroid levels of the Free T3 and the Free T4 at the mid to the upper ranges so one does not have a problem with the pregnancy.

I am not exactly sure where you are from and if you can get labs done every four to six weeks of the Free T3 and the Free T4 to go along with the TSH (though we do not go by TSH alone as it is falsely skewed by thyroid antibodies) and work on taking the PTU to reduce it accordingly to keep the Free Ts at mid to the upper ranges, you can have a successful pregnancy.

I don't suggest getting an RAI right now when one is trying for a pregnancy.

{{{hugs}}} :-)

Hi mmztcass,

Thanks for your promt reply.
I'm from Singapore. My Free T3 is always normal.
Here they review based on T4 & TSH reading.
And yes i go for lab work done every six weeks.
My Free T3 is 4.0 pmol/L(Normal Range:(3.5-6.5).

Hi agin:

Thanks also for letting me know. I would suggest you work with doctor to decrease the PTU slightly to bring the Free T4 back up to mid ranges. Your Free T4 is on the lower side of normal which for some people, can be a bit hypO for them. In my case, I prefer my Free Ts to be at the mid ranges where I won't get slight symptoms of either hypO or hypER.

I hope you are splitting up the PTU into several divided doses through out the day to keep thyroid levels nice and steady.

What were your thyroid levels when pregnant and what amount of PTU were you on then?

{{{hugs}}} :-)

Hi mmztcass,

When i was pregnant my T4 was 9.6 pmol/L (8.8--14.4) and tsh was 0.096mU/L (0.65-3.70) and i was on 12.5mg PTU per day.

Okay yes, your FT4 was too low unfortunately. I'm not sure why your doctor wants you take the RAI since your Free Ts are so low. You responded well with the PTU. Forget the TSH levels, it's messed up according to the thyroid antibodies. If your doctor persist in looking at the TSH, it's best to keep at 1.50 and under. Anything over that causes even more problems.

I do not dose with going by the TS, I dose my meds with using the Free T3 and the Free T4 as guides.

I really suggest telling your doctor to lower your PTU to get it back up to the mid ranges if you wish to try for a pregnancy. Your Free T4 mid ranges would be: 17.0. What is your Free T3 numbers and range? Your TSH will drop, but don't worry about that.

You do have a high TRAb numbers. What about the TSI test? It is called Thyroid Stimulating Immunglobulins test if you can get that done in Singapore.

{{{hugs}}}

Oops...I do not dose according to the TSH, only by the Free T3 and the Free T4.

Hi,
Thanks for your advice.Can you pls let me know the exact figures of T3,T4,& TSH for me to maintain to get pregnant.
Also give me the unit measure for T3,T4 & TSH & the reference range used in USA.Here they measure in pmol for T4 & mIU/L for TSH.
You say my Trab is very high,what is the figure i should maintain for a healthy pregnancy.
My doc never asked to do a TSI before.Anyhow i'll try to get it done and will let you know the remarks soon.
Thanks
{{{hugs}}}:-))

Hi Saritta,
I am so sorry for your loss. There is a book from Mary J. Shomon that is supposed to help thyroid patients achieve good levels for fertility:

http://www.thyroid-info.com/pregna...

I have not read it, but am going to pick it up. I guess our thyroid levels have to be within a certain range for us to have healthy pregnancies, and she tells us what they are in the book.

Take care, and big hugs!
Hannah

Hi:

Unfortunately I can't give you the exact ranges for the Free T3 and the Free T4 as these differ from where we live and different countries.

You have already provided the range for the Free T4 and I posted in post #5 that for you, the Free T4 mid range would be 17.0 (9.0-25.0).

Please post the range for the Free T3 and I'll tell you the mid range for it, at least.

Remember even though we do not go by the TSH test, you'd want to make sure it doesn't go over 1.5.

Hannah has given great info about Mary Shomon's book on pregnancy and ranges.

{{{hugs}}} :-)

Hi mmztcass,

Thanks for your Advice.I'll try to maintain my T3 & T4 accordingly.

{{{hugs}}}:D