Preconception care for thyroid health
Starting or growing your family is a big step for anyone. And if you have a thyroid condition, it’s crucial that you have a plan in place for not only pregnancy, but also prior to conception. By taking steps to nourish your thyroid during the preconception phase, you’re setting the stage for a healthy pregnancy.
As with any care, preconception care is best when under tailored advice and supervision of a health practitioner. But there are some tips that I find helpful for all of my thyroid clients when it comes to prepping for pregnancy.
Preconception tips to support your thyroid
Start with a full assessment of your thyroid!
It might seem obvious, but we need to know where you’re starting from. Otherwise, we can’t track your progress as you implement other tips!
For this, I recommend getting a full thyroid panel plus thyroid nutrients tested. Depending on the condition you have, this may include:
TSH
T4
T3
Reverse T3
Thyroid antibodies
Nutrient levels such as zinc, selenium, iodine, iron and B12
From there, you’ll know what you need to focus on – whether it’s optimising your thyroid hormones, reducing your antibodies, increasing your thyroid nutrients, or maybe all of the above!
It goes for both partners – yes, males as well!
A lot of the pressure around fertility goes onto the female. But we know that male fertility is just as important, and in some cases it’s an even greater factor! That’s why we want to make sure both partners know their thyroid function is within a healthy range for conception.
Address the drivers of your condition
As we know, many underlying triggers are at play with thyroid conditions. So when you’re in preconception mode, it’s time to identify these and start taking action! Some of the most important steps my clients have taken during preconception include:
Reducing inflammation through an anti-inflammatory diet and lifestyle
Managing high stress levels and increasing stress tolerance
Balancing erratic blood sugar levels
Nurturing the gut microbiome and healing the gut lining
Removing known triggers such as food intolerances and environmental pollutants
Consider a cleanse 3 months out
This can give a real boost to your preconception efforts! There is a lot that a cleanse can do for your thyroid – think reducing inflammation, supporting detoxification pathways, rebalancing immunity, restoring gut health and boosting those thyroid-loving nutrients.
To learn more about cleansing for your thyroid, give this a read.
Practice good thyroid health habits
Prepping for conception doesn’t have to be difficult. In fact, it’s often a case of sticking to the good habits that you know will help you to feel better and become healthier!
Not sure what sort of habits you might need to focus on? I’ve got you covered – this article shares 10 thyroid-loving habits, and I also have one on habits to ditch for your thyroid’s sake.
What’s the ultimate goal of thyroid-focused preconception care?
This will depend on the condition that you have. But to put it simply, we are aiming for:
T4 and T3 levels within range and in a good ratio
Low reverse T3 levels
Minimal thyroid antibodies (this is a big one for pregnancy!)
Low inflammation (this can be monitored by testing inflammatory markers)
If you can achieve these outcomes, then you’re well on your way to a healthy thyroid and a healthy pregnancy!
THE POWER IS IN YOUR HANDS
When you receive a thyroid disease diagnosis, there’s a good chance you’ll feel overwhelmed and powerless. It could even be that you’re not clear on what’s driving it or where it came from!
But even if you’re still uncovering the cause, it doesn’t mean you need to suffer the symptoms forever! Your daily habits can make a massive difference – all you need to do is learn about your condition and empower yourself.