Forum 1st trimester

Pregnant and Graves

11 replies

Ilja
Hi, I'm Ilja and after 14 months, I'm finally pregnant for the first time. My husband and I had already been talking about visiting the GP, infertility, etc., and now I'm suddenly pregnant. We're super happy. Exactly 5 weeks today.
I've had Graves' disease since I was 13, and I'm curious if there are more women here who have it too, so we can maybe share experiences. I have to admit I'm quite nervous, especially with the medication dosage adjustments. I always get so sick when the dosage isn't 100% right.

Replies

  1. Iza #2

    Hi Ilja,

    Congratulations on your pregnancy! I have to be honest and say I don't know what Graves' disease entails. Could you maybe explain to me what the disease is and what it means for you?

  2. Ilja started this #3

    I just pulled up the explanation from the official Graves' site. They can explain it 10x better than I can, it's at the bottom.
    I've had this disease since I was 13, and because of it, my childhood went quite differently than for my peers. I always felt 'different'. Luckily, that feeling has faded quite a bit over the years and I've made peace with it, even if I sometimes look like an 80-year-old woman (going to bed on time, everything in moderation, getting tired faster).
    The 'annoying' part is that the pregnancy can't be spontaneous/secret, but on the other hand, I consider myself very lucky that I got pregnant quite quickly for a Graves' patient, but 14 months.
    Everything was planned and discussed in advance with the internist. And now that I'm pregnant, the internist, midwife, and gynecologist are all watching over my shoulder. Blood tests, increasing medication, etc. One moment it doesn't bother me at all and I'm on my pink cloud, and the next moment I'm bummed that I can't be 'normal' even in this.
    Hence the question if there are more people here with this disease.

    The explanation:
    Normally, substances that enter the body are considered foreign by our immune system, these are the so-called antigens. The body's immune system responds by producing 'antibodies' or 'immunoglobulins'. These antibodies are found in the blood. Antibodies are naturally already present in the body and are produced as needed. The production of antibodies triggers a process to clear away cells or cell components (antigens) that the body recognizes as foreign. This is an immunological inflammatory reaction.
    However, in an autoimmune disease, the body produces abnormal antibodies that attack and even break down the body's own cells or tissues. Thus, there are various antibodies or immunoglobulins that can be directed against specific organs, such as the thyroid. These specific antibodies affect the function of the thyroid cells, causing them to work too fast or be inhibited instead.

  3. Sini #4

    Girl, I totally relate! In my case, the illness was gone after 4 years, and my son's pregnancy made me feel better! My son is now 5 years old. I didn't need any medication during my pregnancy, and that's still the case! A bit of a late reply, but I hope everything is okay? Greetings, Sini

  4. Ilja started this #5

    Wow, that's great news! Unfortunately, my thyroid doesn't work at all anymore (and it never will again), so that doesn't apply to me.
    But I really think it's super cool to hear that it worked out for you, that's truly unique.

  5. Sini #6

    Yes, I'm really happy about it it's indeed unique... I unfortunately know how it is... it's a terrible disease that no one can imagine.. some people didn't even understand me.. How are you doing? And the pregnancy? X

  6. Ilja started this #7

    It's going up and down a bit. I'm currently below my body's normal range (I usually take medication above the upper limit), but now I have to stay within these values because the doctors are afraid the pregnancy could become dangerous otherwise. So I feel quite hypo, bleh. I just hold on to the fact that our little miracle is doing well so far.

    People often don't understand, but yeah, try explaining to someone how it feels. You can't explain feelings if people haven't experienced it themselves or something similar.

    Are you afraid that if you got pregnant again, it might come back?

  7. Ilja started this #8

    Pff, so intense all those miscarriages, both for your body and mentally.
    It’s nice that your son was at school during the day, especially when you had a pretty big mental dip. But 2 years is quite a long time; I find 14 months already a struggle. It made me feel insecure, and my thoughts went in all directions (adoption, IVF, etc., etc.). You probably had that too.
    What is mola? I’m not familiar with that term, sorry.

    How many weeks are you along now? It’s good that you can have the ultrasound on Tuesday; it’s exciting. I’m rooting for you.

  8. Sini #9

    Yes, my little boy was always at school and I didn't let him see any of my sadness towards him... When I had the molar pregnancy, my little boy said, "Mom, I'm going to kiss your belly because there are babies in there..." (He said the same thing the day before yesterday). At six weeks, my hCG level was as high as a quadruplet's, but it was a molar pregnancy, so it's just cells multiplying and forming a huge bunch. However, those cells can spread throughout your whole body, even into your brain. Yes, literally everywhere. I wasn't allowed to get pregnant for six months and had to take birth control pills to regulate my hormones. If those cysts hadn't gone away, I would have needed chemotherapy... Fortunately, that wasn't the case! I had to get tested for hCG for six months... first weekly, then monthly, and luckily, it went down very well. If this pregnancy continues well and I give birth, I'll need to keep getting hCG injections because the molar cysts could become active again... Yeah, it's no small thing... but I'm giving it one last shot First, we were told we'd never be able to have children... (my husband has weak sperm). After a miscarriage, I was finally able to get pregnant again, three years after having my little boy!! Our big miracle, our lovely beautiful blonde angel

    14 months is also a long time... if you're trying to conceive, half a year feels like forever I totally understand! It's so sweet that you're rooting for me All thumbs up are very welcome. I'm feeling good, just the usual aches and pains, and I'm radiating positivity according to my husband Now it's our time, I can say that with certainty... intuition... often says more

    Love, Sini

  9. Sini #10

    And we consciously chose not to go down the medical route... whether it's natural or not. And yes, adoption... it's a whole lot of money... I see it as child trafficking. Sorry, that's just my opinion, and yes, if we had the money, I'd love to adopt I've also thought about fostering children! I'd really like to do that

  10. Sini #11

    Oh sorry, I'm only 5 weeks along but I don't know exactly when my ovulation was. I already had a thick line on day 27 and my cycle is on average 33 days.. I'm curious on Tuesday. Anyway, I hope we can see that it's in the right place.

  11. Ilja started this #12

    It's not easy at all, but it sounds like you can make it work for yourself. Probably with the occasional rough day/evening.
    Your own gut feeling says 10x more than a doctor's statement, so let's assume the best.

    I don't know if I'd choose IVF, but those thoughts did come up for me. I'd rather choose adoption than foster care, for the simple reason that with foster care you deal with the child's background. Biological parents, siblings, etc. I grew up with many foster children (my parents did foster care) and that drama with the child's family just doesn't happen in my house. Often they don't agree with the placement in the foster family, and then all the threats... no thanks.

    Adoption is indeed legal human trafficking, but fortunately with a good cause in mind. Offering mothers an alternative and giving children a good future. Although I've also heard stories about women being used as breeding cows (instead of breeding animals), something I think deserves more attention.

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