Thyroid testing before and during pregnancy

http://news.yahoo.com/debate-over-needs-thyroid-check-pregnancy-130147923.html

In my 11 years of clinical practice, I have seen and helped people with many issues; sprained ankles and carpal tunnel problems to migraine headaches and lower back pain.  Unfortunately, nothing prepares you for the time when a patient says that she has had a miscarriage.  I can only imagine, because I have seen first hand, the emotional trauma that a husband and wife go through in that situation.  Sadly, miscarriage is becoming more and more prevalent.

There are about 4.4 million confirmed pregnancies in the U.S. every year and more than 500,000 pregnancies each year end in miscarriage (occurring during the first 20 weeks).  Approximately 26,000 end in stillbirth (considered stillbirth after 20 weeks).  That equates to about 25 to 40% of pregnancies ending in miscarriage.

These are staggering statistics and a large culprit is undiagnosed thyroid imbalance.  If you have read some of my prior posts regarding hormones, you are familiar with the phrase "estrogen makes the bed and progesterone keeps the baby in the bed".  So...if progesterone is responsible for "holding" the pregnancy, then progesterone balance is of the utmost importance in regard to preventing miscarriage.    There is one key factor that many people are missing; thyroxine (thyroid hormone) is responsible for carrying progesterone. 

Do not get me wrong, not every miscarriage is related to a progesterone imbalance.  An not every progesterone imbalance is directly related to thyroid problems.  It could be a lack of pregesterone, too much estrogen (very common), faulty liver function (also common), candida (yeast), NOT ENOUGH CHOLESTEROL (yes, you read correctly), structural imbalances (see your chiropractor), or many other issues.  Whatever the case may be, proper diagnosis is the absolute key.

If a couple is planning a pregnancy, thyroid testing should be done a minimum of three (3) months prior to conception and 2 to 3 times during the pregnancy.  If a woman is high risk, testing should be done every 4 to 6 weeks.  Now, most mainstream physicians may very well disagree with this aspect, but it is my professional opinion that this can help PREVENT miscarriages and still-births.  Providing the treating physician knows what to do with the tests. 

When I read this article, I was blown away by the statement, "If you don't know what to do with the results, you probably shouldn't order the test,".  Wow... 

This is a decent article, but I don't think there is much to debate.  Get your thyroid checked (not just TSH) and have the numbers evaluated by a physician skilled in functional thyroid analysis.