You need a certain amount of hormone from your thyroid gland, so if you dont take the pill (synthroid) you wont have enough for you and have enough to pass through you to your baby. I have hypo-thyroidism (slow)...Ive had it for years. Make sure you take your pill everyday!!

That's exactly what I have. What do the hormones do?

The hormones have something to do with your metabolism. Having a hypo thyroid usually means you gain weight and it is hard to lose after you gain. Hyper thyroid means you usually lose weight. It is usually a rapid weight gain or loss. I gained about 50lbs in the course of less than a year. The synthroid is supposed to regulate your metabolism and whatever else. Once it is regulated, it does take longer than normal to lose weight. I went from 150 to 200, lost about 25 or 30lbs, then I got pregnant and gained it back. Now im back to square one at 200.

The hormone is kind of a supplement, replacing the hormone that your thyroid gland doesn't produce enough off. The thyroid hormone is kind of the stuff that drives your body's energy. If you are low on it, you easily get tired, easily feel cold when others are comfortable, have trouble with weight gain or really can't lose weight even when you exercize a lot. You end up with brittle nails that flake and crack easily, hair that is coarse and unmanagable. You are also more at risk for depression and diabetes.

And yes, it is important to make sure your thyroid gland or supplementation is up to speed when you are pregnant. Studies meassured a 10-point drop in iq in kids born to women who have low thyroid hormone. However, this was for those who were low throughout the pregnancy, so I don't know the implication if it is discovered and treated.

which of the facts? This is not from websites. This is from medical journals. I can link to the sites as I have subscription, but unless you will purchase a subscription, it is easier if I give you the reference. Then you can get the article through interlibrary loans.

The actions of the thyroid gland and what the signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism can be found in any medical textbook or reference book in either endocrinology, internal medicine or family practice.

Some of the articles evaluating children's iq in relation to maternal hypothyroidism are these:


heyerdahl s. Kase bf. Lie so. intellectual development in children with congenital hypothyroidism in relation to recommended thyroxine treatment. journal of pediatrics. 118(6):850-7, 1991 jun.

Liu h. Momotani n. Noh jy. Ishikawa n. Takebe k. Ito k. maternal hypothyroidism during early pregnancy and intellectual development of the progeny. archives of internal medicine. 154(7):785-7, 1994 apr 11.

Matsuura n. Konishi j. transient hypothyroidism in infants born to mothers with chronic thyroiditis--a nationwide study of twenty-three cases. The transient hypothyroidism study group. endocrinologia japonica. 37(3):369-79, 1990 jun.

Glorieux j. Desjardins m. Letarte j. Morissette j. Dussault jh. useful parameters to predict the eventual mental outcome of hypothyroid children. pediatric research. 24(1):6-8, 1988 jul.

Rovet j. Ehrlich r. Sorbara d. intellectual outcome in children with fetal hypothyroidism. journal of pediatrics. 110(5):700-4, 1987 may.

Strupp bj. Levitsky da. early brain insult and cognition: a comparison of malnutrition and hypothyroidism. developmental psychobiology. 16(6):535-49, 1983 nov.

Man eb. Serunian sa. thyroid function in human pregnancy. Ix. Development or retardation of 7-year-old progeny of hypothyroxinemic women. american journal of obstetrics & gynecology. 125(7):949, 1976 aug 1.

i also have hypothyroidism.. I think if left untreated.. The fetus could contract it.. That's how I got mine.. I've had my problem since birth. My mom never took her meds.. Which btw could lead to some type of toxmosis.. I am not quite sure what it's called though.. I have to look it up again.

yep.. Those side effects suck!!

Btw steen.. I have a question.. I have hypo..And I sometimes forget to take my meds yet I am not really overweight.. I mean I am no skinny minny either but I don't understand why i'm not overweight.. And omg.. I eat horribly! I drink like 5 sodas a day.. Pizza.. Hardly anything healthy.. Do you know a possible reason why I am not experiencing weight gain?

thyrotoxicosis. To much thyroid hormone at times, in bursts. It leads to something called "grave's disease."

Nah... I don't think that was what I had in mind.. I'll go check right quick.

metabolism, possibly you are very active, possibly, while you have a lousy (typical teen) diet you don't eat that large an amount in total.

However, it might suddenly change. As such, good diet habits are important. Eat more fruit and vegetables and walk 10,000 steps each day.

And make sure you get your calcium. The time between ages 15-25 is when most of your permanent bone mass is laid down. The more calcium you get now, the less is the risk of you falling down at age 75 and breaking your hip.

As for thyroid supplements, ther are working rather slowly. When you were started on them, it likely took a couple of months before they worked fully. As such, you can occationally skip a dose and get away with it. However, it is much better if you don't.

Ahah... It's called myxedema coma.. Which can cause death..

withhmm.. Well I do walk alot.. I used to walk about a half a mile everyday.. Plus at my job.. I am very active.. Have no choice to be.. At least if i'm the one putting stuff away..I'm running all over the place.

ah, yes. Swelling of most glandular tissue, mucus menbranes and interference with electric conductivity in your heart and nerves.

Thanks for all the info!!! I guess everyone is different, but i'm far from being overweight. But I do have a hard time to tone up certain parts of my body. I had no idea I had this until a blood test I took a couple weeks ago. I also found out last night that many family members of mine have this too. (none of which are overweight though)

i'll be going to pick up my prescription this morning.

Lexiee, I am 11 weeks pregnant and about 2 months before I got pregnant, I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. I had terrible periods that would last three weeks sometimes, but they put me on birth control when I was 17 and that took care of it. I had really bad hypoglycemia, severe dry skin, cramps, I was tired, and I had ocd (obsessive compulsive disorder) I would have to contract muscles in my body and if I didn't do it, I felt like I was going crazy. I mean the list goes on and on. When I was diagnosed, my practitioner prescribed me armour thyroid. It is a natural thyroid hormone. I felt a lot better and then I found out I was pregnant. After my 6th week I started getting signs of hypothroid again and they tested me and I am very very low. Pregnancy can really cause problems with your thyroid and it is a very serious deal. It causes miscarriages, stillbirth, low birth weight, and low iq. You need to go to a specialist and take your medicine. You will feel a lot better. You will never know you could feel so good. There is lots of information about it on the internet, and you should read it.
Oh, and I have always been very thin, and still am and I have had hypothyroidism they say for a long time. I have had almost every symptom, but the over weight thing.

I have the same problem with my thyroids now I am on synthroid I must admit the I messed up with taking them but I am on track again....... My fam. Doc. Told me I will be taking them for life....... Has anyof you that is on it been told that too?

I take the same thing and yes, you do have to take it for life.

***what dosage is everyone on..........Mine is .75*******

Actually right now I am on levothyroxine.. Same thing as synthroid I think. I take 200 mcgs of that.. I do tend to skip a dose sometimes cause I forget..Btw, thanks for reminding me.