Undiagnosed and untreated thyroid disease can be a cause for infertility or recurrent miscarriage. If you have not already been tested for a thyroid problem, there are several things you can do.

Difficulty Level: Easy      Time Required: 5 minutes

1. Ask your doctor for a TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) test, with the full panel of thyroid levels including Free Thyroxine (Free T4) and thyroid antibodies.
2. Find out the actual numerical result for the TSH level, and don't accept "the result was normal," as a complete answer.
3. Look at the TSH level. At most labs, normal range is approximately 0.5 to 5.5, but some endocrinologists believe that a woman with suspected thyroid disease may have difficulty getting pregnant and/or maintaining a pregnancy at a TSH higher than 2.0.
4. If your TSH is "high-normal" and/or you had elevated antibodies, and your doctor is not willing to treat you, find a doctor or endocrinologist who has a good success rate working with thyroid-related infertility.
5. Ensure that you are ovulating, by using a fertility awareness method, and/or ovulation predictor.
   

1. To maximize fertility, try a fertility awareness method such as the one outlined in the excellent book, "Taking Charge of Your Fertility," by Toni Wechsler.
   
   

Related Features:

• Thyroid Disease, Pregnancy and Infertility
• Six Questions You Ought to Ask Your Doctor
• Pregnancy and Thyroid Disease Links
• Infertility Information at About.com
• Living Well With Thyroid Disease