High-Risk Pregnancy

I knew having thyroid problems could cause issues during the pregnancy - for both me and the baby. What I didn't know was that because I have Graves Disease treated with Iodine Nuclear Radiation, that actually makes this and every pregnancy I have high-risk. Even though I no longer have a thyroid, the TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) receptor can still be in my blood and travel through the placenta to Magoo. This would cause Magoo to become hyperthyroid as well. If not well monitored or diagnosed late, it almost always ends with a stillborn birth. Thyroid problems can also cause the baby to have significant heart defects and a large thyroid goiter - which can result in the baby suffocating. Besides being scary knowing most of my problems come later in the pregnancy and not early on like most people, I also am not sure why I wasn't told about this earlier. I supposed at this point there is nothing that they can do. From what I researched (yikes! I know, stay away from google, but I'm getting much better at keeping the information realistic instead of scary), after my 20 week anatomy scan I will need an ultrasound scan every 4 weeks until 32 weeks and then either weekly or bi-weekly to continuously monitor the heart and thyroid. If there will be a goiter, it is usually found at 32 weeks. This could mean I would need to be induced to go into an early labor if, and by if I do mean if, a problem arises. If Magoo is found to have any problems besides inducing early they could: adjust my thyroid medication, insert a needle through my abdomen into the baby to get a blood test and then insert liquid medication directly to the baby. The invasive testing obviously could cause other problems on its own. I do have to say, when I was 15 and getting the radiation, I don't recall the doctor ever telling me it could cause problems with fertility or pregnancy or the chance that it could cause my child lifelong problems. It seems like that should have been information I should have been given. Granted, I was 15 and not sure how it would have affected my decision because all I could think about was that I was about to get really fat. But at least I would have had the information to make the decision and before getting pregnant I would have known the questions to ask, who to ask and what to be ready for. Now in a few more weeks when I go in for my 20 week check-up, you can bet my doctor will be getting slammed with a lot of questions!