I was diagnosed with Grave's Disease (hyperthyroidism) during my first pregnancy.  I was counseled incorrectly by my endocrinologist that I could not breastfeed due to the risk of my medication, PTU Propylthiouracil (anti thyroid medication).  I then choose to have a thyroidectomy when my daughter was four months old instead of radioactive iodine.  Unfortunately I did not breastfeed my daughter due to this advice.  I have been taking levothyroxine since the removal of my thyroid and fully breastfed my son for two years.  As long as the thyroid replacement is controlled lactation is certainly possible.  I do not have any information on the parathyroid as mine were left intact.  
What I found out later is that PTU is the safer of the anti-thyroid medication during lactation.  This experience of not receiving the information that I needed inspired me to become a WIC peer counselor and a La Leche League Leader.  I then fell in love with the world of lactation and wanted to spread the empowerment that I received from breastfeeding my son after mourning the loss of my breastfeeding relationship with my daughter.  I have since become an IBCLC and wrote a long letter to that endocrinologist pointing out the erroneous information she gave me (with references!).  
 
Julie Gladney BS, IBCLC, LLLL, Student Practical Nurse
Athens, OH
USA

Date:    Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:40:09 +0100
From:    giadaeli <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: thyroid and parathyroid absence and breastfeeding

Hi all!
I fw to the list to help a couple of LLL collegues here in Italy.

We have recently encountered two cases for which we could find no clear 
reference in the literature available to us:
case 1: a mother without thyroid
case 2: a mother without thyroid and parathyroid glands

Do you know:

- with respect to case1, if it is possible to consider it a normal case 
of hypothyroidism, or if the complete absence of the thyroid gland has 
consequences which cannot be compensated by administration of 
levothyroxin. In particular the mother is concerned about calcium 
absorption and osteoporosis;

- with respect to case 2, if breastfeeding is at all possible, and above 
all, if you know of mothers without parathyroid glands who succesfully 
breastfed.

Thank you for your help,
Martina, Micaela and Antonella
PLs answer to [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]  too

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