Today is day 3 of stim shots (cd4) and I'm wondering if this is all a big fat waste o' time.
Two days ago I went in to get started on this cycle and did the ritual early morning bloodletting. And because it has just been niggling me in the back of my mind that maybe my thyroid is out of whack, I asked them to run a thyroid test on my blood as well. And they did. And my TSH is 4. FOUR. That is still within some definitions of normal, but it's definitively higher than the 0.3-3.0 range that is recommended by many endocrinologists, and some recommend a range of 1-2 if you are trying to get pregnant.
So I freaked out post the RE's call. And made an appointment with the thyroid expert she recommended for this coming Wednesday, and then after work I took a look at previous blood test results. And right there were my results from my primary care provider showing that my TSH was 2.2 in January. And earlier tests from my RE have it at 3.5. So I don't know what to think or what I should do.
I went in for yet another blood draw yesterday and will have those results Monday, and I guess I can't really do anything until I bring those results to the thyroid endocrinologist on Wednesday. Except now I am wondering if this cycle is just a profound waste of time. I can't seem to find much research on this, except that hypothyroidism does cause recurrent miscarriage. So maybe I'm fine making the embryos and just freezing them if there is a thyroid issue? I seriously have no idea. All I know is that I am totally, utterly freaking out.
I don't even know why I asked them to run this test; my sister has severe hypothyroidism and I have had some variability in thyroid function in the past (borderline hyperthyroid in my youth, and borderline hypothyroid a year or so ago). I guess I'm glad I did, but seriously, I wish I knew more about what to do.
Do any of you have experience in this area and have ideas? I just don't know what to do....
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I just posted a big long comment and it didn't go through! Aargh! I will try to remember and repeat...
ReplyDeleteGood for you for getting your TSH checked and for asking questions. There is a book I have talked about on my blog called The Thyroid Solution - I have the 2007 edition, which you should be able to find in a bookstore or the library, but my friend ordered the most recent edition online, which includes even more up-to-date information. If you can pick it up before your appointment with the thyroid specialist, that would be ideal, because it may help you to determine what other questions you might like to ask them, and there may be things you can immediately do to help your thyroid production, such as adjusting your diet. For example, I know that soy has a huge impact on slowing down thyroid production, so cut out all soy, including soy milk, tofu, edamame, etc.
It's great that you requested another test, because no assay is perfect, so it will be interesting to see if there is a change. The most recent edition of the book confirms that a range of 1-2 is ideal for getting pregnant. That said, I don't know if your current cycle is affected because the cohort of eggs that you will release now were selected 90 days ago, right? Your question about whether to do an FET is excellent. Can you reach your RE today and ask about this? I assume if they were really concerned, they would tell you - it's important to note that your RE and the specialist are also looking at other numbers (T3 and T4) in combination with your TSH. It would be good (and probably relieve some stress) to express your concern and get a more thorough explanation.
I hope this helps, and keep us posted.
Love,
Maddy
Everything I learned is from the website www.stopthethyroidmadness.com, but I think I might have posted that here before already. 4 is definitely waaay too high, so you're definitely going to want to treat that...but I don't know why your doctors don't take it seriously!
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