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
Here's How:
- 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.
- Find out the actual numerical result for the TSH level, and don't accept "the result was normal," as a complete answer.
- 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.
- 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.
- Ensure that you are ovulating, by using a fertility awareness method, and/or ovulation predictor.
- 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
