Today was the big appt with Dr Z to get the biopsy results.... The good news is it was benign. The not-so-good-news, at least according to the doc is I definitely have Hashimotos Thyroiditis, an autoimmune disorder where my body is attacking my thyroid. Seriously.... My body is trying to destroy itself?! That just figures.... Hmph. So I start .25 of thyroid medication tomorrow.
The truth is I was soooo happy to have that diagnosis!!! I just figured out I have too short of a luteal phase and one cause is hypothyroidism.... which all the prior blood test haven't shown... Hashimotos is hypothyroidism so I'm so happy that I was right... Something IS going in here.... Ladies, listen to your gut!!! I can't say it enough!!! Now does this guarantee that I'll be able to get pregnant or stay pregnant? No, but at least its something to try. I've read that some people with unexplained IF get pregnant after getting on thyroid meds. Hopefully that'll be the case. I guess time will tell. If anyone knows of any success stories, I'd love to hear it!!!
So I go back in 3-4 weeks and retest blood and see how this dose of thyroid is making me feel. She's also retesting my calcium. Apparently it was high last time. Unfortunately she said if it comes back high again they're referring me to a hematologist which is blood/oncology??? Gulp!!! I really don't think its cancer tho, I suspect its my parathyroids. I guess we'll see..... I'm not focusing on that right now... I just want to get into the next cycle to see if this med will make a difference.
Just the other day I was really feeling hopeless.... Its so hard when month after month there's no good news. When your body fails you at every chance it gets.... I felt like I couldn't face 1 more cycle.... but I feel like I have the smallest inkling of hope again! Maybe things will get better in the next few cycles!!! Don't worry, I'll keep you all posted! :-)
Yea for a little bit of hope. Sorry you have that, but yea for a diagnosis they can work with.
ReplyDeleteHere from Stirrup Queens; I'm a success story, as is a good friend of mine. For me, after 3 failed IVFs I finally got my subclinical hypothyroidism diagnosed (Hashimoto's) and treated, and on my next IVF (needed IVF due to my DH's MF), I got pregnant and had an uneventful full-term pregnancy and a healthy son. In the interest of full disclosure I should add I've since done several more IVFs and none have worked, but certainly my age isn't in my favor (I was 36 when my son was conceived, 38 next time I cycled, 41 last time I tried, now 42, so ...).
ReplyDeleteMy efforts at getting diagnosed were inspired in part by a good friend who lost a twin pregnancy and then got a thyroid problem diagnosed (after being told by her OB that her TSH of 5.5 was fine ...) and treated and went on to conceive without medical assistance and have a daughter.
I'll add, I've learned that estrogen binds with thyroid hormone, meaning anything that increases your estrogen levels (like many infertility treatments, or pregnancy) typically increases your need for medication if you are hypothyroid (happily as you probably know the "meds" are really just replacement hormones and totally safe to take while ttc/PG). Hopefully your doctors are aware of this, but be sure to keep your thyroid doctor updated as to what's going on in your ttc life (and vice-versa).
Mary Shomon's got a lot of great information about thyroid: http://thyroid.about.com/ , and/or any of her books.
Dropping by for Dec. ICLW week.
ReplyDeleteGlad that you started a Blog. It's very helpful to share our journeys as well as info. that we get. I have been told for many years that Thyroid problems even slight can affect IF.
At this time, I'm on .50 as my R/E wants to keep my levels @ 2.5 or less for our ART cycle. I have also done some research on how the whole Endocrine System relates to each other & IF.
Sometimes, I am also at a loss w/the R/E & their Dx as it can be to vague or general. One thing I did take from my R/E is that our body changes every cycle and treatment then varies as well & what may be optimal during one cycle may not be the next.
My hubby says, "it's like a craps shoot", you just gotta go with it and see where it takes you.
Looking forward to following your journey.
The Cs
#78 ICLW