Iodine is necessary for normal thyroid function, and more than one third of reproductive-age women in the US don't get enough iodine. In my opinion, all women attempting pregnancy should take a prenatal vitamin that contains at least 150 mcg of iodine (and 220 mcg may be better). The iodine in the vitamin should be not be derived from kelp, as the levels of iodine in kelp vary dramatically. I recently made a trip to the CVS pharmacy, and I was disappointed to see that fewer than half of the prenatal vitamins contained iodine, and some of ones that did listed kelp as the iodine source. The only over-the-counter prenatal vitamin I found at CVS that had 220 mcg of iodine was Centrum Specialist Prenatal. (I have no financial ties to the company that makes this vitamin.) By the way, prescription prenatal vitamins are no more likely to have iodine than over-the-counter brands.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Thyroid problems
Thyroid disease has been linked to menstrual irregularity, infertility, and miscarriage (as well as many other medical problems). I think that anyone with difficulty conceiving, irregular menses, or a history of miscarriage or preterm delivery should have TSH, free T4, and thyroid peroxidase antibody levels checked. Be careful if your doctor or nurse says your TSH level is OK, because even levels in the high-normal range (greater than 2.5) probably need to be treated.
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6 comments:
I have heard a lot of debate over what to take when you have a thyroid issue. Of course, we usually get the good-old synthroid, but I have read that there are better choices. What is your opinion?
The majority of medical evidence supports using levothyroxine (only) for treatment of hypothyroidism, but there are fans of T3 and even dessicated pig thyroid gland (Armour Thyroid) out there. I generally use brand-name Synthroid, as there is some variation in potency among the different levothyroxine brands (and I have no financial ties to the company that makes Synthroid, although the company rep is a bit of a hottie).
Of course, the treatment for HYPERthyroidism is completely different - radiation, surgery, or different drugs.
An underactive thyroid is much more common in our patient population.
mps
Hi Dr. S,
You recently prescribed me Synthroid (50ml) and I just ran out of prenantal vitamins. Do you suggest I buy the kind you mentioned in your post?
Thanks,
AC Little
Yes, Centrum Professional does seem like a very good vitamin, but it is kind of pricey. I suggest you check the labels to see if there are cheaper alternatives before buying it.
mps
I went through year of unexplained infertility before quitting infertility treatments and finally conceiving on my own- through the grace of God. Both my mother and my grandmother have thyroid issues (hypo and hyper) but I've never been diagnosed despite having a documented TSH level of 4.29. Every doctor I've had to test me says my levels are normal or borderline but they do not feel that I need treatment. What are your thoughts? I'd love another baby and I'm scared it's not going to happen or I'm in for a terribly long wait. What are your thoughts?
Thanks,
HRL
From the information you have provided, you would probably get a prescription for levothyroxine if you were a patient in our practice. mps
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