Don't be scared. Your child should have had a basic thyroid panel run at birth. If the child had suppressed thyroid function it should have been caught then. It is worth while to ask your pediatrician if they ran a TSH, FT4, Ft3 on your child at birth. They are supposed to, but it is not set in law. My SIL is an OB so I get the latest findings in that regard.
Most issues to the child will arise in the first trimester of a pregnancy. If you have low T4 levels there is an increased chance of cognitive development issues. This is just an increased chance.. not guarantee and your issues appear to have manifested post pregnancy correct?
Well with Hashimoto's it increases your chance of miscarriage.. your have a beautiful healthy baby, so no worries there. It also predisposes you to hypothyroidism.. which causes issues in future for you and any other babies you might have... the main issue with Hashimoto's is it is so had to catch until it has ravaged your system. Thus catching it early and treating it early is better for you and your child and any future children you desire. It is also important because Hashimoto's is very familial dependent. SO if you have it.. your children are at an increased chance of developing it and you should be watchful of the signs. It is not something that is going to wake up and snatch your baby from you. My son is five. He is reading and writing and doing math at a 2nd and 3rd grade level. He is physically one of the strongest and biggest in his class. He does have sleep apnea and is immune deficient in IgA.. which means LOTS of sinus ills, but he is wonderful. My Hashimoto's developed during my pregnancy. So you should not worry. But you need to be aware and know what to look out for...
So what is the text book scenario for the thyroid autoimmune diseases. First, Hashimoto's and Graves Disease are the two thyroid autoimmune diseases. The antibodies from either can cross the placenta and attack the child's thyroid as it develops.. just like it attacks the mother's. Once born the antibodies will slowly purge from the child's system. Issues are normally dramatic and arise from pregnancy long attack on the child's thyroid. Your child arrived safe and sound, if there was an immediate issue they should have detected it at birth. Most issues arise earlier in the pregnancy and can compromise the pregnancy, if they are going to occur. Thus you shouldn't be worried, but if you have Hashimoto's and if it developed while you were pregnant it increases the chance that your child will have it.. because your thyroid antibodies could have transfered into the child making that genetic imprint. What causes Hashimoto's or Graves to wake up and become a pain in the neck. Well they can not pin it down to an exact source, but they know it occurs in times of hormonal flux (puberty, pregnancy, menopause), certain viruses and bacterial infections (mono is the big one), if you have another autoimmune condition, certain medications and radiation and environmental toxins.. etc. you get the picture. Women naturally have more periods of hormonal flux and the Hashimoto's is linked to the X chromosome.. so we get that wonderful predisposition to have it. This doesn't mean you have it. The test will say if you do.. another thing to look at is your family. Does anyone in your family have a thyroid autoimmune disease.. wait a minute most MDs do not want the insurance to flip for two antibody tests.. so look for hypoT or hyperT family members. If you have a mother or grandmothers or sister or aunts with thyroid issues.. it may be an autoimmune issue at work. I have Hashimoto's and I have developed Graves antibodies as well. My mom has Hashi's and Graves.. she is one of 5 sisters. .. all of them have thyroid issues as well. It took 13 years of suffering to get them all diagnosed. So this is your chance to get proactive and have the blood work run. If you have Hashimoto's you can be prepared versus run about like a chicken with your head cut off for five years until you determine what is the issue.. because MDs often will look at the TSH and say your normal.. not the thyroid.
I REALLY hate the normal word.
In the case of Hashimoto's it is nasty because it will attack any thyroid it can get access too. Hashimoto's pregnancies normally require an increased dosage of thyroid medication 25-50% more than when you are not pregnant... You should also get targeted ultrasounds of the babies thyroid in womb to make sure they are not developing a goiter.. ONCE again this would/should have been noticed at birth, if Hashimoto's was at work from the onset and you didn't have sufficient T4 levels. You mention nothing of that, so NO WORRIES there. The worry is in the future, the horrid question mother's ask themselves.. "If I have it, will my baby develop it?" You never know.
In the case of Graves it stimulates the thyroid and increases the chance that you and the child are hyperthyroid. It can cause preeclampsia and all sorts of nasty things to you. It does effect the baby as well, but Graves shouldn't be an issue for you. However just for general information, it is possible to have both Graves and Hashimoto's develop.
Thus in my opinion given my family history of thyroid autoimmune issues and the fact that Hashimoto's exists in 12.6% of the population, but only 2 % are diagnosed early with it. I recommend to any woman that has developed postpartum thyroid issues or thyroid issues during pregnancy be tested for the Hashimoto's and/or Graves antibodies.. just to be sure. Most MDs will not bother with the test, they look at the TSH, if you are lucky and do not look at the actual thyroid hormone levels. They treat the now and do not look to the future. But I believe it is better to be prepared and know all that you can. The Hashimoto's antibody tests are quite accurate and only take a little blood. In 85-90% of Hashimoto's patients, it will catch the issue. There is a 15% chance of getting a false negative, but IF you have Hashimoto's it makes you a high risk candidate for future pregnancies and you will need to follow special care. You will also be aware of the fact your body is attacking your thyroid and that it will kill it off one day. This will allow you to look for the signs of hypoT in yourself and those about you. There is an 80% chance that a daughter will manifest hashimoto's if you have it and a 20% chance a son will manifest it. All we can do and do do in my son's case is draw blood yearly and test his TSH, Ft3, Ft4 and thyroid antibodies as part of his physical. This allows us to have a running baseline of his normal thyroid function and will catch Hashi's or Graves, if they rear their ugly head in the future.
So it is most important for you to get tested, so that you know and can take proactive treatment and care measures for you and yours. I hope that I didn't make things worse... with all this. I am just trying to stress that there is no immediate danger to your child, you are more at risk for issues at this time than your child. If I were you and my MD had bothered to run my TSH and levels during my pregnancy to catch a thyroid issues. Knowing my family history and the dominance of Hashimoto's, I would ask my OB or GP to run the following blood tests:
TPOAb and TGAb.
You have the rest. If these come back positive you have added ammo to get you to an Endo that is good with adrenal/pituitary/thyroid issues. You will want to research the Endos. DO not settle for one Endo just because they are close. If they specialize in diabetes they may not be as current or familiar with thyroid issues. You want a thyroid expert. I do think you need to be medicated. That T4 level is way too low. But you need to make sure that your adrenal/pituitary loop isn't out of whack as well. If you medicate with your imbalance it may throw you hyperT in T3 while you wallow hypoT in T4. It sucks living half hyper and half hypo. I do it on a daily basis and wouldn't wish it on anyone.
MG
