Out of all of the bizarre self-diagnoses that I sometimes obsess about, the one that often plagues my thoughts is that I have an undiagnosed thyroid issue. I really have no basis for this concern – there’s no history of thyroid problems in my family, but it’s just one those things that my mind has latched onto. I can’t imagine what it would be like to go through a difficult pregnancy and gain 85 pounds and only finding out about the thyroid problem months after giving birth. That’s what happened with Molly Sims. People Mag hosted a sit-down chat with several Hollywood moms about motherhood and more, and Sims talked about what happened to her:
Molly Sims admits she struggled with weight gain during her pregnancy, as well as thyroid issues that went undiagnosed.
“No one tells you what’s going to happen,” Sims says to a group of celebrity moms, including Haylie Duff, Garcelle Beauvais and Soleil Moon Frye, who got together for PEOPLE’s Mom Talk video series, which is now live on PEOPLE/Entertainment Weekly Network.
“With my first pregnancy, I ended up gaining 85 lbs. and had a bad thyroid problem that no one diagnosed throughout the whole pregnancy until four months later,” Sims, who is pregnant with her third child, adds. Sims, 43, who is already mom to Scarlett May, 17 months, and Brooks Alan, 4, says that during her pregnancy she had false hopes that the weight would just fall off after she gave birth.
“Sometimes, deep down, when you’re eating that Sweet Lady Jane on the 405, you think, ‘It’ll come off when I have the baby,’ ” she says.
“There’s also a lot of pressure to bounce back,” Beauvais, 48, adds. “You know who I love is Drew Barrymore! She says, ‘It took me nine months to have ’em, I don’t care how long it takes me to get it off.’ ”
I’ll admit that I have a bias against tall, naturally slim women because I always assume that their lives, pregnancies and careers are so much easier than everybody else’s. Like, looking at Molly Sims, I would have assumed that she would have breezy, no-drama pregnancies and that the “baby weight” would just fall off in a month, just as it seems to with every other tall, thin model-type (it sounds like this is what she assumed too!). This just goes to show, we don’t know someone’s story or their struggles. It’s awful that she had an undiagnosed condition for so long.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
“I’ll admit that I have a bias against tall, naturally slim women”
Everyone is naturally slim when living away from the developed world and its comforts (namely, cars and fast foods at every corner) somehow…
Thyroid issues during pregnancy are no joke. Undiagnosed hypothyroidism might cause infertility, miscarriage and if you manage to conceive the baby might be born mentally disabled. Check your thyroid before and after you get pregnant. When my TSH was at 12 my doc told me 5 times to use conctraception and needed for me to sign a paper saying that I was informed not to get pregnant.
Thank you for saying this. I have thyroid problems (was not diagnosed for many years) and have been reading a lot about it. There is a great blog that explains that you should check your thyroid throughout the whole pregnancy to adjust treatment and decrease chances of miscarriages, etc.
Most docs I talked to here in Europe say you shouldn’t get pregnant with a TSH above 2,5. I hear Germany is even more progressive do their norms might be even lower. Proper levels of actual thyroid hormones are important as well (ft3 and ft4). In some people TSH will remain low even though ft3 and ft4 are deficient.
There is a website called Stop The Thyroid Madness which I recommend to everyone suspecting they have a thyroid problem. I went undiagnosed for years because even though I had all the hypo symptoms (except for weight gain, I was skinny until the last 6 months before diagnosis), my levels were still “within range” even though as I later found out from a good doc, they weren’t good at all. Just not s**t enough for the unknowledgeable doctor I was seeing to finally diagnose me.
For what I read, your TSH should be below 2 (preferably even lower closer to the minimum level) to improve your chances to get pregnant. Mine is fine due to the meds, but my antibodies are remain high.
I thought most docs checked thyroid-related values with the routine lab tests, at least once every quarter if everything seems to be going well with the pregnancy.
Yeah, I’m surprised that her thyroid wasn’t checked during pregnancy — I would think that’s pretty routine even without a pre-existing condition. I have Hashimoto’s Disease (auto-immune disorder that causes hypothyroidism and tends to be hereditary), as do my three sisters, so we were all watched checked regularly during pregnancies. Estrogen affects the uptake of one of the thyroid hormones — so they have to check levels a lot during pregnancy.
And even for women who don’t have a pre-existing thyroid condition, the hormone changes during pregnancy or after can trigger issues. Low thyroid is one of the most common contributors to postpartum depression.
me too! my doctor considered me high risk for my first trimester and did a lot of collaboration with my endocrinologist to test frequently to avoid complications. i had stable levels before pregnancy and was specifically told to be “deliberate” when i conceived to know when to get my thyroid tested. within a week of a positive test – my meds had to be doubled. ladies – make sure you get your thyroid tested but also request to be tested for antibodies as well. Your T4 and T3 levels can be normal if you have Hashimoto’s, masking a potential issue.
Wow, thank you for that information. I have a family history of thyroid issues. So far I seem to be fine but am hoping to start trying for a baby in the next year or so. I’ll definitely get my thryroid checked, thanks to you! <3
TSH, T3, T4 and the antibodies too. I got undiagnosed for many years because my TSH would be just a bit above the maximum level from time to time. My T3 and T4 were fine. My antibodies are high (blood for quantity) and you can see in the ultra. There are great blogs out there about being pregnant with thyroid issues. Best of luck!
I also keep worrying about a hidden thyroid issue. Gaining that much weight uncontrollably must have really sucked.
On the other hand, I really dont understand how pregnant women keep excusing their excessive processed food and sugar consumption onthe pregnancy hormones. There is no excuse for eating that much processed stuff and sugar, especially when you are pregnant. I had pregnancy cravings too but I usually sated them with healthyish stuff.
Maybe it’s because they’ve always had to live with the judgement of random people about their eating habits.
This.
“No one tells you what’s gonna happen”? I’m gonna disagree with that pretty vehemently because I don’t have kids and the sheer amount of information/articles/stories/interviews about pregnancy makes me really hesitant to do it.
Agreed. In both my pregnancies it was clearly laid out to me by my ob gyn–ten pounds of fluid, 8 pounds for baby (give or take, clearly) the rest is weight you are going to have to lose on your own after. It’s harsh, but i liked it. Sometimes a dose of harsh truth puts things in perspective.
4 years ago, I gained FIFTY pounds in 6 months!!! I had always been 5’6″ and b/n 115-118lbs, my entire adult life. Turned out I have a thyroid problem but the medication I was prescribed did NOTHING. I still am carrying around what equates to small child around with me in fat and skin.
Of course there is a vanity aspect to this-I look terrible but more, I don’t even recognize myself so I feel a general sense of disconnection to myself and consequently others, and I can’t move. I feel like I have lead in my veins-it’s horrible. And now that I don’t have health insurance, there’s no way to address it.
Womens’ bodies go through so much, REAL conditions that many people have no clue about or minimize. Thyroid problems are legit and so impacting.
Jen, I’ve felt like how you’re feeling now, and it’s debilitating and depressing as hell. Even if you don’t have health insurance, you may qualify for care at a community health clinic. A combination of T3 and T4 may help you tremendously — that’s what finally worked for me. It’s your life – don’t let thyroid issues hold you back, please get help somehow. Hang in there, it can get better.
Hi Carrie Anne, thanks so much for your compassionate and kind words. Yes, it really is so debilitating and depressing b/c there is no control. I ate 500 c a day after the first 20lbs to try to get some control and it didn’t matter b/c it’s my thyroid and it’s just messed up. I was only prescribed one med so I will look into this combo you mentioned. Being a laid off single woman with no children, I don’t qualify for medicaid and can’t afford Obamacare.
I’m so happy for you that you found something to be bring you relief. Someone below mentioned maybe a pituitary issue because thyroid doesn’t cause that much weight gain. Did you gain as much as me?
Thanks again for reaching out with kindness. It helps more than you know.
A community health clinic offers a sliding scale. They are quite good in San Francisco and cheap. I know they treat TSH over 2 there.
No one really understands unless they’ve gone through this stuff! I still have 20 lbs on me that I’m working on getting off and it’s really hard to lose now unless I stay below 1000 calories a day. I gained about 40 with my pregnancy and lost a few after that but gained again once they took my thyroid out. But, I’m also 44 and my hormones are changing anyway. Even though you don’t feel like yourself, do things that make you happy and help you feel pretty! Get on antidepressants if you need to! You’re dealing with a lot and some meds helped me 🙂 Have a doc at the health clinic run a full thyroid panel including parathyroid. Take vitamin D, that helps too. Try to move even though it’s hard. I remember feeling like I was walking through deep sand all the time. Your doc should check your levels every 3-4 months and adjust meds as necessary to get you to a good place. You can get the generics at WalMart for $4/30 days for each prescription.
@Kaiser – there’s no history of thyroid issues in my family either, but I still ended up with hypERthyroidism, and now that my thyroid has been removed, HypOthyroidism. And I went undiagnosed for 20 years. The statistics are something like 1 in 13 people have some kind of thyroid issue, so it doesn’t hurt to get tested. It’s a simple blood test. Better safe than sorry.
Irene same thing happened to my mom. It was the late 80’s early 90’s and she was hyper, didn’t figure it out for years, had many miscarriages, slept very little and was maybe 120 pounds on a 5 foot 8 frame. At one point they wondered if she had other very serious issues, was her thyroid. Had it radiated, and now is hypo. Very scary. Went on to have 3 more children. Now, if her meds aren’t right she won’t feel right for a while, but then she goes to her dr and plays with dosage until they figure out what works. For me, also 5’8″, I gained 65 pounds at one point in 6 months went from 150 to 215, had my thyroid checked, and no issues. I have since gotten back to 155 with a diet, and now to s of work. I always worry too though about a thyroid thing, between family history and my ability to gain magical amounts of weight in short periods:)
According to the American Thyroid Assosociation, a thyroid problem will only account for 5-10 pounds of an individual’s weight gain.
I was about to add that in my previous post. Thyroid may account for a few pounds and some water weight — but people don’t gain really large amounts of weight with an underactive thyroid. All of my endocrinologists have said that if somebody gains a hundred pounds, it’s because of pituitary issues, and not thyroid. My guess for Molly would be that it’s a combo of thyroid, three pregnancies close together, and that she’s in her early 40s and perimenopausal with a naturally slowing metabolism.
Maybe that’s my issue then, pituitary. Thanks, will ask about that. Because 50 lbs is insane! At first my doctor thought I might have a tumor/ovarian cancer b/c she saw the rapid weight gain, but it wasn’t that either.
My thyroid numbers were always normal, but after I delivered my second baby, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer (the bad kind). I felt fine and never would have suspected anything going on with my thyroid. Luckily it hadn’t spread. It took four years to get my meds right and finally I feel almost normal. I’m here for my daughters, though, which is most important! Thyroid problems are no joke. Being exhausted and your muscles not working the same makes it really hard to exercise and lose weight.
I’m starting to think that this is becoming a Hollywood trend – to use Thyroid issues as a cover for weight gain in famous women. Women who gained “too much weight” and are embarassed to admit the truth and that they don’t just bounce back after childbirth. I’ve heard this story several times but most of them describe the weight gain only – not the other hell symptoms that take place. Thyroid problems are life lasting and very hard to control so the sudden diagnosis doesn’t make it all go away..
Thyroid problems can lower body temperature resulting in a calorie burn difference of 100 calories per day, or 6-12 pounds per year. 96 degree body temperature lowers basal metabolic rate.
My mom is 78 years old and a biologist and she said that thyroid medicine trick to lose weight has been around for many many years. I do respect those who really do have a thyroid problem. It’s too bad Hollywood is abusing that issue.