I don't know too much about RAI treatments, since my body has reacted postive to the PTU. I starting taking PTU in May of this year when I was diagnosed with Graves. I became pregnant in July and it seems my pregnancy has put my Graves in remission of so sort. My levels became normal in Oct. I'm very thankful that everything has gone so well. I can't remember what being normal feels like. But my opinion is you will always have to worry about prenancy even after RAI treatment, because I believe you could become hypo. Of course I don't know too much about RAI maybe the other members will be able to answer your questions more than I can.

I just did the RAI two weeks ago the DR told me that it was my best option given my age and that I still want to have children, he also told me that doing the RAI would give me much more chance of going into remission. He told me if I took the PTU and then went into remission there is a 90% chance that it will come back (graves) and propably worse then it was before. He also told me it is easier to treat hypo then hyper and hypo has less effects on your body. Hope this helps as I am still not sure about anything eventhough I already went through it.

I had RAI 10 years ago and was totally symptom free until this year when the Graves' came back. No one told me that there was a possibility of the disease returning after such a long time. Unfortunately with my thyroid gone, the disease attacked my eyes and has caused permanent damage to the muscles. If I had it to do over again? I probably would not change my course of treatment, I would just want to be more well informed.

I had RAI done four years ago, and being hypo is not an easy road, but I do not regret it. Graves is nothing to mess with, and mine was killing me. I couldn't work or function. Now I do have energy problems and I get very tired. Trying to find the right dose of synthroid was also a battle. But for me, it was the best choice because I do want to have children and continue my life the best way I can. RAI may not be for everyone, but for me it has been something I would do again if I had to.

This is definitely a personal decision. For me, I decided to use a low dose of methimazol, herbs, and acupuncture to control my thyroid. It took some time, but it is fine now. Monitoring your levels is key no matter what road you take. I also want to have children and am told that as long as my levels are normal, I should be able to--without RAI. If you are very careful about monitoring your bloodwork, making changes in your lifestyle (reducing stress) and diet, etc. you can possilby control your thyroid. If not, you may want to just get it removed. I would also say it depends on how bad it has been for you--that might influence your decision. For some who've had terrible side effects, it may have been better to get rid of the thyroid. Keep in mind though, hyperthyroidism is not the same as Grave's. With or without the thyroid, you will have Grave's disease and the symptoms that come with it (like the possiblity of eye disease). So, removing the thyroid is not a cure-all.
Good luck!

I have taken the same approach as Erica (although I have not used herbs at this point, but have used acupuncture, stress reduction and diet/supplements). I was diagnosed wtih Graves in June 2007 and personally felt very strongly not doing RAI. I felt much more comfortable with keeping my thyroid, especially since there is a chance the Graves could go into remission. If you do the RAI it is almost definite that you will be hypothyroid the rest of your life and will still need to take medication. Fortunately for me, I have had not had any bad side effects from the methimazole and my levels are now normal (took about 5 months). For those that have a bad experience with antithyroid meds, RAI is probably the way to go. However if antithyroid meds work for you, it seems that is the best option since it is not doing anything permanent to your thyroid. My endo says he has patients on the antithyroid meds for 20 years with no problems. Everyone is different so you have to do what is best for you and your body. Good luck with your decision.

ditto to everything singersue said. I was on Methimazole, had an allergic reaction...and changed to PTU...I've been fine on that. It took me about 6 months to get a consistently normal level...and now I feel great all the time. If you take RAI you have to wait a year before trying to get pregnant.

Thanks for all the information, It has help alot. I also took the advise and got the book "Living well with Graves" I read it in one night.

So I am going to have RAI. At the moment I am Hypo. Dr said stop all meds come in in 4 weeks and get your lvl read. She wants me to go hyper again first. So I am in for a really (lack of a better word and watching my tounge) bumpy ride. After treatment we are going to wait a year and try to get pregnant. I figure instead of waiting to see if I go into remision and then hopeing that preg doesn't through me back out that I do this and cut the waiting time all together. I am not getting any younger. :)

Not to be negative but one of the things I keep reading is that it is more difficult to get pregnant once you are Hypo because of TSH leves being off. Check into it more if you still want to have children.