Is it necessary to take drugs for hypothyroidism life long?

Q: I am a 33 years old woman who has been diagnosed with thyroid (approx 8) recently and have spondylosis too. I am planning for a baby, is this the right time to go for it? Or, should I let the thyroid level come down to normal first? I have come to know that thyroid is a disease, which never gets cured and one has to take medicine throughout life. Is it correct? What are the side effects of this disease and what precautions/steps should I take to keep myself healthy?

A:You have not given the details of your thyroid test results. But with the background and one value of 8, I presume that you have hypothyroidism, which means your thyroid gland is making less thyroid hormone, may be marginally low only. It is a very mild form of disease. You should plan pregnancy after the test results are normal; may take 6-8 weeks only. There are no specific precautions like diet etc. except that you should continue to take iodised salt. Most of the hypothyroid patients need medications life long and only 5% have reversible disease. In your case as disease is very mild you may not need medications for whole life.