New to this forum

[Fibersmith]

And I'm not sure where to begin

I had trouble conceiving both my children and the second RE I saw suggested that I had PCOS but I never really got confirmation. I go pregnant right away the second time on injectibles and an IUI.

My fertility miracles are now almost 6 and almost 3 and I've never really done anything about the PCOS. I've been having hot flashes and bunch of other wiggy hormonal things going on so I had my annual pap and pelvic. The gyn says "Gee your thyroid looks swollen so go see your internist but have some bloodwork before hand" Long story short I'm hypothyroid and I have a goiter. I started on Levothroid about a week ago and I'm sort of at a loss. I tried to get my internist to refer me to an endocrinologist but he throught that between him and my gyn they could control it. Should I go back and push for a referral?

The gyn put me on BCP's for the PCOS but I'm wondering if that is the correct protocol? I've been doing some research on the web and there's all kinds of funky things out there that one can try to naturally remedy the situation. I certainly need to do some more reading and there are a couple books I'm going to try and get at the library.

So what sorts of things have you all tried for to control both your hypothyroid and pcos, and what are your suggestions for my course of action. I think we're done having kids because I just can't go through the emotional commitment of trying again only to find I have to go through fertility treatments again (which were not a lot of fun).

Edited to add: Is there someplace I can find out what the long term effects are of each and what sorts of things should I be watching for in my future (like am I at a greater risk for fibromyalgia or other autoimune disease). I'm assuming that if I can loose some weight and get my hormones stabilized that is the best solution but if I can't. . .?

Thanks in advance,

[CathyWood]

Hi..Welcome to SC. I am glad you found us. Well if you are done having kids and you think BCP is worth doing then go for it. BUT if you are not done then maybe ask the doctor for what he suggests. Contact me if you wish...see you around.

[CelticSpirit]

Your best bet is to definitely see an endocrinologist. An internist can be great, but an endo is the doc who treats endocrine disorders (and will be able to help you with PCOS as well).

PCOS and thyroid disease are ENDOCRINE disorders and need to be addressed by someone who knows how to handle them. An Endocrinologist SHOULD know ALL the thyroid testing that you need to have done. Some internists only test for TSH which is bull. You need to have your T3, T4, TSH and antibodies tested to get an idea of what's going on in there. If you have antibodies present, that means auto-immune thyroid disease (Hashimotos). That can be serious. Autoimmune diseases are the misery that loves company. They tend to go hand in hand.

The best place for info about thyroid stuff (in my opinion) is Thyroid Info

OH, I speak from many, many years of experience with this by the way...I've had a thyroid problem since high school, although it wasn't diagnosed until I was about 23! I'm now 31...

Good luck!

StacieD