A little background: I'm 31 years old and have Hashimoto's thyroiditis. I lost my first pregnancy to miscarriage last year at almost 7 weeks (6 weeks, 5 days). I currently take 125 mcg of Synthroid for my thyroid. My cycle has always been pretty regular (bounced around some after the miscarriage and then when my dosage of Synthroid was too high) but since I've been charting for 2 months I've discovered a short luteal phase.
My acupuncturist confirmed my suspicion and said there's a problem with the corpus luteum. He said it can be fixed in 3 to 6 months with acupuncture. I've also been drinking a tea made of herbs that he gave me (Traditional Chinese Medicine).
I am impatient and would like to start TTC sooner (although still need to wait for thyroid to regulate--it was great for 6 months--TSH was under 1--and then shot up to 6.3 and up again to 6.7. My Synthroid was recently increased and I'm getting bloodwork done in a couple of weeks to see if the number is going down as it should). If I went the medical route, what exactly would be involved and how much sooner could we TTC?
Thanks for any help.
32 years old, EDD 01/12/11; first pregnancy ended in miscarriage at 6 weeks 5 days (subchorionic hematoma); Hashimoto's thyroiditis
Thyroid--175 mcg Synthroid daily
Homozygous for MTHFR mutation--2 copies of C677T, heterozygous for PAI-1 (4g/5g). Had to stop Lovenox injections at 5 weeks gestation due to intrauterine bleed, which thankfully cleared after 2 weeks strict bed rest; switched to daily low-dose (baby) aspirin, prescription prenatal vitamin (PreNate Elite), 2 tabs of generic of Folgard and 3 tablets of 800mcg folic acid (generic drugstore brand)
Acupuncture once a week for 3 months seems to have helped with luteal phase defect/ problem with corpus luteum
I don't know how much sooner you could TTC with going the medical route, but I would at least make an appointment and ask some questions. That way you at least know what all your options are.. Good luck.
Michele (35) & Scott (35) - DD Sasha Louise, 07 Oct 2008 and DD Kenzie Marie, 03 May 2011
I agree. I would want a specialist following my care, especially with the Hashimoto's. If you have a short LP, (I also do) they can likely correct that with progesterone support/Clomid or other drugs as appropriate. I just saw an RE in January and have already started TTC through my treatment plan. So it has felt relatively quick to me.
HTH. Best of luck to you on your journey
Me (28) DH (28)
TTC for the 1st time May 2010- First BFP! Beta #1=86 (4wk0d); Progesterone=15 Beta #2=317 (4wk2d) Doubling Time=26.57 hrs Beta #3=3758 (5w0d) Doubling Time=33.08 hrs First u/s (6w3d), saw heartbeat! 134bpm Second u/s (9w3d), baby is doing well! 179bpm Third u/s (13w2d), NT Scan, 153 bpm Fourth u/s (20w0d), IT'S A BOY!!
EDD 1//25/11
My Chart
Hi there, I've done the opposite to you, went the medical route first, and while it was good to find out if I had any issues and I did actually get pregnant but had MC, it stressed me out somewhat and actually my cycles ended up all over the place. I started acupuncture three months ago and it has regulated my cycle and increased my luteal phase from 11 days to 13 days....as wel as cervical fluid. However that is just me and everyone is so very different. The medical route may work out for you - but expect the same amount of time, it takes about 3-4 weeks to complete the tests and then another few weeks to get geared up for treatment... why not stick with acupuncture and use it as a complimentary activity to your medical route?
I would chart a couple cycles and see what's going while waiting for your appointment to roll around. I'd personally try some Vitamin B6 and Natural Progesterone Cream during the 2ww to see if it helps, I'd probably try some Vitex from AF-O to regulate o- that's just me, it's helped me in the past. We have really long wait times for appointments in Canada so I wanted to feel like I was trying something or getting somewhere while I waited for my doctor visit to roll around. Once you get into the doc I'd get some CD 3 bloodwork to check your FSH and thyroid, etc. Also, get a progesterone check done on 7 dpo to see if it is low. Good luck!
Jewels Jon - Married 11 Years! (Endo, PCOS)
Alexander James- 8 (2 Yrs TTC) 05/10/02
Gabriella Rae- 6 (Our Homebirth Baby!) 04/03/04
Gideon David Shawn- 1.5 yrs (3 Yrs TTC , LAP, 3rd IUI worked!) 11/20/08
Just so you know my RE wouldn't treat me until my TSH was under control (like yours it was good then jumped to 6.5 I have hashi's too) , which took me 3months (which ended up being 4 cycles due to the timing of my cycles). I am doing my first IUI this month. From the time I First saw the RE Sept. Until now I have also been working with an acu to regulate my cycles.
I would do the acu and as soon as your TSH is under control visit the RE. If my tsh was fine I could have done IUI in Oct. (sept cycle would have been used for testing)
TTC #1 since Aug '08
TCOYF Chart TCOYF BETA Chart FF Chart