Identifying and treating thyroid disease in my fertility and pregnant patients has been a passion since I was a naturopathic student in Vancouver, where I saw one of my patients complete a healthy pregnancy after recurrent miscarriages due to previously undertreated thyroid issues.
Now I screen all of my patients for both hypothyroidism and auto-immune thyroiditis (Hashimoto’s) in pregnancy, and offer treatments accordingly to ensure the best chances of a healthy pregnancy.
Supporting thyroid hormone production is fairly easy to do with the right doses and forms of thyroid medications (typically synthroid in pregnancy). Keeping antibody production in my Hashimoto’s patients in check can be another challenge, however. Thyroid auto-immunity/Hashimoto’s is associated with a number of maternal and fetal risks during pregnancy, as well as with female infertility.1
Now, a new study from Italy has found promising effects on reducing anti-thyroid antibody production from supplementing with selenomethionine, which is selenium bound to the amino acid methionine to increase absorption. This multicentre, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study found that during pregnancy both TgAb and TPOAb decreased significantly with selenomethionine supplementation, with antibody reductions continuing into the post-partum period.
The Italian study used 86mcg/d of selenomethionine, but it can be dosed safely up to 400mcg/d in pregnancy. My typical dosing recommendation for Hashimoto’s in pregnancy and post-partum is 200mcg/day of selenomethionine along with 4000 IU of Vitamin D, which has also been shown to reduce thyroid auto-antibodies.
It’s always great to receive more good news for women’s thyroid health!
I hope you have found this helpful, and do let me know if you have any questions!
If you are hungry for more evidence-based information in your pregnancy, sign up for my free webinar: 7 Pregnancy Myths Debunked – and get the information you need to have a healthy pregnancy and a thriving baby.
And if you are a care-provider looking for evidence-based resources for your pregnant patients, please get in touch with us at support@myhealthypregnancyplan.com.
In health,
Dr Jocelyn Land-Murphy, ND
Terra Life
Disclaimer: The information and content provided is for general educational and informational purposes only and is not professional medical advice, nor is it intended to be a substitute therefore. Please consult the Disclaimer and Terms of Use for full details.
References:
Montovani, G. (2019). Selenium supplementation in the management of thyroid autoimmunity during pregnancy: results of the “SERENA study”, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Endocrine.
Ucan, B. (2016). Vitamin D Treatment in Patients with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis may Decrease the Development of Hypothyroidism. International Journal of Vitamin Nutrition Research, 86(1-2):9-17.
1 Women who have positive anti-thyroid antibodies (TPO and/or TgAb) have a high risk of developing post-partum thyroiditis (PPT), and the higher the antibody titer, the higher the risk. Also,50% of women with PPT have permanent hypothyroidism at the end of their first postpartum year.