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American Thyroid Association
thyroid.org › home › patients portal › clinical thyroidology for the public › october 2016 › vol 9 issue 10 p.5-6
Increasing levothyroxine doses early in pregnancy is associated with a lower risk for pregnancy loss in hypothyroid women
October 9, 2016 - Higher levels of thyroid hormone ... pregnancy in hypothyroid women. Many endocrinologists advise pregnant women to take a higher dose of Levothyroxine as soon as pregnancy is confirmed. ......
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PubMed Central
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov › articles › PMC9191263
Outcomes With Levothyroxine Treatment in Early Pregnancy With Subclinical Hypothyroidism - PMC
Pregnancy outcomes were compared with those of healthy pregnant women with normal thyroid function. ... A total of 1058 women were screened and 5.1% (n=54) were found to have subclinical hypothyroidism, out of which 57.4% (n=31) were thyroid peroxidase antibody positive. The median gestational age at the initiation of levothyroxine treatment was nine weeks.
Discussions

Impact of Levothyroxine on Symptoms & Pregnancy
I’ve had 3 healthy pregnancies with hashimotos. In fact, the hashimotos gets BETTER when pregnant. Post partum is where hell breaks loose for me More on reddit.com
🌐 r/Hashimotos
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3
January 1, 2024
Levothyroxine and Pregnancy -- dosing mistake
I have definitely accidentally taken my Levo twice in a morning a couple times this pregnancy. I’ve also totally forgotten to take it before (or thrown it up). I figure it levels out over time 😆. I never even called my OB about it. Levo is so safe during pregnancy and an accidental double dose one time won’t hurt anything, especially since you ate shortly after. I’m 35 weeks now and all’s good with lil one. Deep breath mama. You’ll be okay. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/BabyBumps
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7
January 15, 2019
Levothyroxine/Hypothyroidism and Pregnancy Loss Worry
Yeah you should get it checked sooner rather than later. I tried to since I was born without a thyroid, but my doctors dismissed it till 10 weeks. My TSH skyrocketed to 7 because it wasn’t being managed for so long to the point i was having late stage hypo symptoms, but I’ve seen lots of others post on here with even higher numbers. My endo (who I wasn’t seeing before pregnancy because my levels have remained stable on the same dose for the past 10+ years) said she tells all patients to start taking one-two (I can’t remember) additional pills per week as soon as they find out their pregnant even before getting in for an appointment. A lot of the risk is if you failed to manage it for the duration of the entire pregnancy. I would just get in for a TSH check ASAP (see if your doctor can call in bloodwork) and ask to have it tested every four weeks from here on out. But don’t freak out and take extra right now unless your doctor advises, because there’s a much worse risk to the baby from thyroid toxicity and it’ll mess up your numbers when you do test. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/BabyBumps
8
5
December 3, 2021
Hypothyroidism ladies of Reddit
Mine was only raised from 75mcg daily to 75mcg 6 days p/wk and 150mcg 1 days p/wk 1st trimester, so not 30%. I think it depends greatly on your body size and where your levels currently are. We've adjusted the dose down briefly and then up again. I'd bring it up with them and make sure they are checking your levels but not stress too much about specific percentages. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/pregnant
48
6
December 31, 2022
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New England Journal of Medicine
nejm.org › doi › full › 10.1056 › NEJMoa040079
Timing and Magnitude of Increases in Levothyroxine Requirements during Pregnancy in Women with Hypothyroidism | New England Journal of Medicine
Levothyroxine requirements increase as early as the fifth week of gestation. Given the importance of maternal euthyroidism for normal fetal cognitive development, we propose that women with hypothyroidism increase their levothyroxine dose by ...
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GoodRx
goodrx.com › goodrx health › drugs › levothyroxine › levothyroxine and pregnancy: what you need to know
Levothyroxine and Pregnancy: What You Need to Know - GoodRx
March 23, 2022 - To avoid unnecessary risks during pregnancy, take levothyroxine if your healthcare provider recommends it. It’s considered safe to take while trying to become pregnant, while pregnant, or while breastfeeding.
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BioMed Central
bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com › articles › 10.1186 › s12916-022-02586-9
Association of maternal levothyroxine use during pregnancy with offspring birth and neurodevelopmental outcomes: a population-based cohort study | BMC Medicine | Full Text
November 8, 2022 - A significantly increased risk of preterm birth was observed in children with maternal levothyroxine exposure during pregnancy, when compared to mothers who had no history of thyroid-related diagnoses or prescriptions (weighted OR [wOR]: 1.22, ...
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Bioscientifica
ec.bioscientifica.com › view › journals › ec › 13 › 3 › EC-23-0420.xml
Update on therapeutic use of levothyroxine for the management of hypothyroidism during pregnancy in: Endocrine Connections Volume 13 Issue 3 (2024)
March 1, 2024 - There is no doubt that overt ... hormone replacement with levothyroxine (LT4) reduces the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes in the setting of overt hypothyroidism....
Find elsewhere
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Frontiers
frontiersin.org › journals › endocrinology › articles › 10.3389 › fendo.2021.743057 › full
Frontiers | Early Levothyroxine Treatment for Subclinical Hypothyroidism or Hypothyroxinemia in Pregnancy: The St Carlos Gestational and Thyroid Protocol
September 22, 2021 - In fact, recommendations for pregnant women with gestational thyroid dysfunction have included the start of levothyroxine therapy as early as possible, and before the 9th-10th gestational week (GW) (20–23). Yet the GW in which FT4/TSH values should be obtained, permitting initiation of LT, is a point of controversy (8, 22–29). In 2013, when this study was initiated, levels of TSH <2.5 µIU/mL and FT4 >7.5 pg/mL were considered appropriate during the first trimester of pregnancy (6), and cut-off points for initiation of LT.
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NCBI
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov › books › NBK585637
Levothyroxine in Pregnancy - 70 Years of Levothyroxine - NCBI Bookshelf
March 12, 2021 - Thyroid hormone homeostasis changes markedly during pregnancy, and first trimester-specific reference ranges for thyrotropin (thyroid-stimulating hormone, TSH) are needed to diagnose hypothyroidism. Treatment consists in levothyroxine (LT4) in this setting (triiodothyronine or desiccated thyroid ...
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ScienceDirect
sciencedirect.com › science › article › pii › S1028455923002450
Effect of extra-low dose levothyroxine supplementation on pregnancy outcomes in women with subclinical hypothyroidism undergoing in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer - ScienceDirect
November 25, 2023 - Our result demonstrated that supplementation with extra-low dose of levothyroxine at 25 mcg/day to SCH women can produce the comparable obstetrical and neonatal outcome as that in euthyroid pregnant women.
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PubMed Central
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov › articles › PMC8703220
Pregnancy and Neonatal Outcomes With Levothyroxine Treatment in Women With Subclinical Hypothyroidism Based on New Diagnostic Criteria: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis - PMC
It is the most common thyroid ... weight (3–8). Some retrospective or RCT studies have reported that levothyroxine (LT4) supplementation can significantly decrease the risk of either pregnancy loss (9) or preterm birth (10)....
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Healio
healio.com › news › endocrinology › 20201209 › levothyroxine-overtreatment-during-pregnancy-increases-odds-for-preterm-delivery
Levothyroxine overtreatment during pregnancy increases odds for preterm delivery
December 9, 2020 - A cohort of pregnant women in Canada who were overtreated for hypothyroidism with levothyroxine were more likely to have a preterm delivery than women with normal thyroid-stimulating hormone, according to a study published in Thyroid.
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Harvard Gazette
news.harvard.edu › gazette › story › 2004 › 07 › increased-dosage-of-thyroid-medication-necessary-early-in-pregnancy
Increased dosage of thyroid medication necessary early in pregnancy — Harvard Gazette
July 22, 2004 - Hypothyroidism, a deficiency of ... to the thyroid hormone made by the normal thyroid gland and therefore perfectly safe to take during pregnancy....
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PubMed
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov › 38368537
Effects of Levothyroxine Treatment on Fertility and Pregnancy Outcomes in Subclinical Hypothyroidism: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials - PubMed
Background: Subclinical hypothyroidism, defined by elevated thyrotropin (TSH) and normal free thyroxine levels, is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, including preterm birth, pre-eclampsia, and small for gestational age. Despite the uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of levothyroxine (LT4) treatment on pregnancy outcomes in subclinical hypothyroidism, LT4 is widely administered with a pre-treatment threshold TSH level of 2.5 mU/L.
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American Thyroid Association
thyroid.org › wp-content › uploads › patients › brochures › hypothyroidism_pregnancy_faq.pdf pdf
Hypothyroidism in Pregnancy FAQ
Hypothyroidism can occur early in pregnancy, even in women without previous thyroid problems. When a woman is already taking thyroid medication · (levothyroxine), the dose frequently needs to be adjusted early in the first trimester.
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NIDDK
niddk.nih.gov › home › health information › endocrine diseases › thyroid disease & pregnancy
Thyroid Disease & Pregnancy - NIDDK
October 3, 2025 - T3 is included in a lot of thyroid medicines made with animal thyroid, such as Armour Thyroid, but is not useful for your baby’s brain development. These medicines contain too much T3 and not enough T4, and should not be used during pregnancy. Experts recommend only using levothyroxine (T4) while you’re pregnant.
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UHS Sussex
uhsussex.nhs.uk › wp-content › uploads › 2022 › 08 › Pregnancy-and-hypothyroidism.pdf pdf
Pregnancy and hypothyroidism Department of Endocrinology Patient information
Hypothyroidism is treated with thyroxine (also called levothyroxine), which is a synthetic (man-made) form of the natural ‘T4’ hormone · produced by the thyroid gland. Thyroxine is safe to take whilst · pregnant and whilst breast-feeding. Thyroxine should be taken ·
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PubMed Central
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov › articles › PMC9745595
The impact of levothyroxine exposure on delivery outcome in hypothyroid pregnant women (PETAL study): A five-year retrospective cohort study - PMC
Multiple logistic regression showed no significant association between exposure to levothyroxine and the overall rate of caesarean delivery (aOR 1.1; 95% CI 0.8 to 1.6). Mean TSH concentrations were significantly higher throughout the pregnancy in hypothyroid women despite levothyroxine treatment.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/hashimotos › impact of levothyroxine on symptoms & pregnancy
r/Hashimotos on Reddit: Impact of Levothyroxine on Symptoms & Pregnancy
January 1, 2024 -

I’m recently diagnosed with sub clinical hypothyroidism caused by hashimotos. My TSH is 8.5 and my endocrinologist said that because I’m currently trying to get pregnant she would start me on levothyroxine. She said after 1-2 months my levels should get down and I can start trying again, since there are a lot of negative outcomes for pregnancy and birth with hypothyroidism.

Have folks found that levothyroxine alleviates symptoms? Has anyone had experience being pregnant after being on medication? I’m worried that either the symptoms will still be here after the medication and/or the impact on a developing baby will still be present. I’m in my late 30s so there are already higher risks for developmental difficulties.