I wonder if I am crazy to think I can change the world, but something deep inside me tells me that this is what I am supposed to do. I launched my blog Hypothyroid Mom on October 1st, 2012 in memory of the unborn baby I lost to hypothyroidism and in dedication to my two boys who beat the odds and made it to the world. When I wrote that first post Have You Suffered A Miscarriage? Your Thyroid Could Be To Blame the words poured out on the page as if someone other than me wrote it. Somehow I knew my unborn baby was watching over me. I know my mission to bring about UNIVERSAL THYROID SCREENING IN PREGNANCY is my destiny. I lost my unborn baby so needlessly. I will ensure my baby did not die in vain by saving babies all across the globe. With your help I will make this happen.
Babies At Risk From Maternal Thyroid Disease
So many readers have contacted me with stories of miscarriage, still birth, pregnancy complications, premature births, and babies born with intellectual deficits. There is no better way to stress the importance of thyroid screening in pregnancy than to share the heart-wrenching real life stories of thyroid sufferers.
“I just found your blog as I sit in the outpatient waiting room to have a biopsy of a large nodule on my thyroid. I have had two miscarriages in the past year. Both baby boys. One at 14 weeks and one at 13 weeks.”
“I had 5 miscarriages before I finally was able to have a baby girl.”
“I have hypothyroidism and never made the connection. At 2 1/2 months along of my first and only pregnancy, my doctor suggested I terminate due to “abnormalities”. But I refused, it was my first time being pregnant and I longed to be a Mom so much. Well about 7 1/2 months along, this little girl was born after 2 days of labor. She was roughly 2 pounds with severe birth defects. She died within two hours. I was/still am devastated. I kept asking my doctors -what caused this?? Their reply “Oh its just normal in so many births- nothing you did caused it” But I knew SOMETHING was wrong.”
“I had 2 losses before I carried to term, and was not able to get pregnant again despite my endo telling me it wasn’t my thyroid. The fertility doc said it had to be that…because there was no other reason.”
“The most hurtful image will be that little baby’s tiny feet for me. I am very sorry for everyone’s losses.”
“It’s sad- I had been diagnosed and “treated” for hypo for over 7 years when I had my first of 7 miscarriages!”
“The one I lost at 16 weeks was evacuated by D&C two months after it’s passing. I saw it and they immediately gave me a shot in the arm and I was out. They didn’t want me seeing it and wouldn’t tell me the sex of the baby because a year prior I had lost my 3 month old son to rsv because he was premature and his immune system wasn’t strong enough to fight it off. The rest passed eventually on their own, but with two of those I hemorrhaged badly.”
“I miscarried, then had a micro preemie at 26 weeks. He was 1 lb. 14 oz.”
“Try 4 miscarriages.”
“I’ve had several miscarriages and had to bury 2 girls and 1 boy.”
“I’ve had two miscarriages in the last year the first at 19 weeks and the most recent at 16 weeks. I had one miscarriage back in 2004 before I knew that I had Hashimoto’s.”
“I have hypothyroidism and had a missed misscarriage as well. The baby quit growing at 8 weeks and I carried my baby a month after that before finding out its heart wasn’t beating and had to have an abortion pill to pass the baby, which was a horrible experience. I was told I would not see the baby and I did. As well as having to push out the placenta at home in my bathroom, it was awful.”
“I suffered 3 miscarriages and I know it was due to my thyroid. it is upsetting and frustrating when you know there is something wrong but your doctor ignores it. Heartbreaking.”
“My first loss was at around 12 weeks, but according to the size my baby died around eight weeks. I lost many more at around eight weeks until finally I found a specialist who saw I had a progesterone issue caused by the thyroid problem and an autoimmune issue.”
“Back in the 1950s when I was eight years old, my mother had a miscarriage and that was the last opportunity for me to have younger siblings. We didn’t know then that her quite severe hypothyroidism was likely to have played a role in the miscarriages that added to her suffering.”
“I have had 7 miscarriages.”
“I miscarried one, then had a stillborn long before I knew of my Graves.”
“I had a miscarriage with twins. Then got pregnant again and lost the baby. I don’t know if we will ever have a child.”
“I suffered 3 miscarriages in the space of 2 years. I was pregnant a total of 4 times and was only able to carry ONE to term.”
“I too suffered three miscarriages in my life and near loss of two other early born infants.”
“I suffered through 4 second trimester pregnancy losses. My thyroid was never checked. I was not diagnosed hypothyroid until I was 48 with a TSH of 36.”
“I had a miscarriage 2 months ago and last week I noticed a nice sized bump on my neck! I have a 3 cm thyroid nodule.”
“I lost three babies. I know now that I was hypothyroid for more than thirty years before I was even diagnosed. I had absolutely no idea that I had Hashimoto’s.”
“I recently found your Hypothyroid Mom Facebook fan page in the waiting room for my thyroid ultrasound. My 11 year old son has Autism/Asperger’s Syndrome. I recently miscarried at 7 weeks along.”
“At 3 weeks pregnancy, my TSH was far out of the range for pregnancy at 147 (recommended TSH for first trimester is <2.5). My doctors could’ve cared less and told me as long as we get it controlled there will be no problems. I miscarried at 6 weeks 1 day. I’m scheduled for a D&C. I pushed and pushed the doctor on this thyroid issue and they seem unconcerned.”
“I have Hashimoto’s. My 13-month old daughter has severe global delays.”
“My wife is pregnant and she is suffering from hypothyroidism. Her TSH is 150. This is the sixth week of pregnancy. Her doctor recommends we abort the baby.”
How many babies suffer before we shout for universal thyroid screening in pregnancy? NO MORE. This is the moment we stand up, speak up and demand change.
