Hypothyroidism

I received a phone call from my OB/GYN office yesterday afternoon informing me that my blood work came back and I have Hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism is caused by the insufficient production of thyroid hormone by the thyroid gland. What this means for me is that I now have to take a pill every morning, probably for the rest of my life. What this means for the baby is that I better remember to take this pill everyday since Hypothyroidism can cause miscarriages.

The person I spoke to on the phone told me she has this disease too and that many of the symptoms I've been having are due to this disease. The biggest being constant fatigue, which is very true for me. I always need at least 9 hours of sleep and still struggle getting out of bed. By the afternoon, a nap always sounds good. This is just how I've always been and I had accepted it. My heart palpitations I've been having may also be because of this.

She told me to go online and google "hypothyroidism" and I can find out more information. Of course I did this and found lots of interesting information. One thing to note is weight-gain. Not that I've ever been overweight, but I've never been super skinny. I'm very active and can never get rid of the extra weight I carry around my stomach. One of the symptoms is weight gain, and some of the brief information I've read states that you may carry an extra 10 lbs, which is what I've always wanted to lose and have never been able to. I wonder if, post-baby, I will finally be able to get down to my ideal weight. Just another reason to keep myself in good shape during pregnancy so this will hopefully be something I can accomplish.

Last night after the gym I stopped at the pharmacy and picked up my first month's supply of pills. I was glad it was only $7.50, I was expecting I was going to have to spend a fortune. I took my first pill this morning, and I see my doctor on Thursday for a physical so I will make sure to ask additional questions, such as is this something I've always had or something I've developed during pregnancy.

They will retest my blood at 16 weeks and 28 weeks and than post pregnancy I will have to continue to follow up with my general practitioner.

I'll update as I get additional information.