Anyone else here TTC with autoimmune disease?

[tinksmagic]

Stacey that's awesome!! Congrats!! Funny that IUI worked better... but at least it worked!

Glory, I am negative for Celiac, but can't do gluten just the same. It feeds the white blood cells which attack the thyroid, but at least it's one less problem to worry about!

As for me now... I went for my ultrasound last week, my TSH is on the rise and my TPO is very high. They found my remaining right thyroid to be enlarged and has nodules. I go for a fine needle aspiration on Wednesday now to make sure it's not cancerous. I can't win. I have no comparison blood work to know if my TPO is rising or falling, but for now, it's high enough for concern. I will probably end up with a complete thyroid removal. Either way, I wish they would just put me on replacement hormones so everything will regulate and I can try again.

[tinksmagic]

Good news is my results came back cancer free!!!! One less worry!!! Endo appointment forthcoming... Vit D levels checked Friday, just waiting on results.... We're getting there!

[auroara78]

so happy to hear this, Tink!! that's great news!

[lisa3delta]

im so sorry for what youre going through, i too have hashis, my doctor says its not bad enough to need meds yet but he never mentioned it could make fertility problems, how does it affect fertility exactly? should my doc be talking to me about this? he knows were ttc : /

[tinksmagic]

im so sorry for what youre going through, i too have hashis, my doctor says its not bad enough to need meds yet but he never mentioned it could make fertility problems, how does it affect fertility exactly? should my doc be talking to me about this? he knows were ttc : /

When I had my hemithyroidectomy 14 years ago my dr. (ENT specialist, not an endo) told me I would probably not be able to have kids again (I already had 2 at the time). I thought he was nuts. 18 months of trying later, we got DD. We started trying 3 months after her birth so we wouldn't have to wait. 6 years of trying later, we got DD #4. I wanted to start trying again (lol, I was still waiting for DD's birth and was already thinking of another!) but we got wait listed for 3 years by that evil clinic in VA then CA. I think we all know them...

We finally started cycling in '09, everything on my and hubby's end checked out normal. After second m/c we have been told "advanced maternal age". My TSH is normal (but rising) but my TPO is off. I questioned my ENT if this is what's causing the problem. He says NO, I find it hard to believe. I'm not on meds, he didn't think I needed them. The thyroid controls hormone production, means of checks and balances. I'm to understand that when the thyroid isn't 100% it sets in motion other glands to take over which can mess up other hormone balances. Add into the mix what happens within the body when there are imbalances and thyroid isn't performing correctly: inflammation (which I have), inability to conceive on your own (which I also have though IVF takes, just not creating good embryos). We're on the assumption it's my eggs, but we aren't 100% sure it's not hubby though it doesn't point that way. Most articles I've read just say a result of Hashi's is infertility. Nothing specific. I just think it messes with your cycles. My period was never regular til I had the surgery, then it was like clockwork (when we got our last DD) but after her it went screwy again. What I thought was "normal" was actually everything BUT normal! Now it's almost perfect with the exception of it being a 27 day cycle. I can't complain, I ovulate quite well (to the point where hubby realizes it and lol, sabotages the chance of an "oopsie"). I attribute healthy foods and supplements to that!

My vit d was way low, though it's gone from 13 in May to 38!!! last week!!!! My blood looks awesome! I can only hope that since my blood looks good, eggs are improving (f/x!!!) but my thyroid is still enlarged and has nodules which I'm hoping will shrink when I get the inflammation under control. I did manage to have my 2 girls with Hashi's but it wasn't quick or easy (though fun trying!) and in my mind, things are slowly coming back into balance. Time will tell!

[tinksmagic]

Finally determined that I need to be on Levoxyl. My TSH went from 1.2 in May, to 1.9 in August to 2.9 in October!!! While they want to see it under 3, it's borderline so Levoxyl for a month then retest. Hopefully this is just temporary.

[tinksmagic]

Popping back here to quickly update. It's been just about 3 months that I've been on the levoxyl. For some reason FCNE told me they couldn't check my TSH (even though they prescribed the meds) because as I was now "their patient in a cycle" my insurance wouldn't cover it, but yet when I log into the "portal" I was supposed to have follow up blood drawn Nov 14. Whatever, I needed a regular physical from my PCP anyway and I'm glad I did. He ran a full panel work-up mid December and checked EVERYTHING that the others wouldn't. Other than my thyroid antibodies still present and high (but lower than in August), everything else checked out OK. My T3 and T4 were slightly off but not enough to be of concern and my TSH went WAY back down to a nice .963 (and probably still lower).
Of course now with a change in insurance, the earliest we're looking at is March, which is fine by me!!! On a brighter, more positive note, I'm down 20 pounds, hubby is down about 25! And I've gotten real good at cooking healthy and gluten free!!!
It is sad not to see the same ladies on the forums from a year ago as most of them have their bundles of joy. We have thrown caution to the wind a few times but nada.... This is the last month we weren't careful and hubby's been warned, lol.

[The Anchor]

Good luck tink...I hope your journey brings you your boy(s)

[onthepond]

So glad things are settling down for you. I, too, have Hashimotos and although it has caused a ton of other problems for me (hair, skin, exhaustion), I am blessed that it has not affected my fertility at all. Definitely continue to be your own advocate for stuff. I finally found an endo dr that I love. She listens to me and it has made all the difference. I can tell when my levels are off and my meds need to be adjusted, but I am just happy to have her. Good luck!

[yamanote]

Me! I have just put puzzle pieces together this last year (I'm 41 now) that I have inherited autoimmune disorders from my mother. She didn't realize she had them either, but had to have a liver transplant 6 years ago from her unknown disorder destroying it.we both also have asthma and eczema, along with a few other issues. Mine clear up for the most part if I cut out ALL milk proteins from my diet. This I discovered after nearly losing the vision in my right eye due to 'unknown cause' inflammation in the vitreous...which disappeared when I cut out milk. My retinal doctor at the local health-sciences university is fascinated....hey, at least its making someone's day, lol!

Anyway, I have elevated nk cells and a vastly iveractive th1 response (hey, at least I never get sick!), so for right now I'm on 20mg prednisone and some other supplements. If that doesn't work, I'll have to figure out the expense of dr.Braverman or dr. Beers since they successfully treat for this all the time... but yikes.... FX the prednisone works.