Hyperthyroidism... and Hair

Last week, we were away on vacation - away from work, the stresses of daily life in the city, technology, and close to beaches, sunshine, grilling, relaxation, and good friends.  It was a much needed break, and I came back feeling recharged and refreshed.

During the week away, I received a call from the OB office reporting that my thyroid levels from the blood tests I had gotten during the 10 week visit were a concern.  It looked like I might have hyperthyroidism - an overactive thyroid.  And while this condition hasn't been proven to have an effect on the developing fetus in the same way as hypothyroidism, it should be treated.  The OB referred me to an endocrinologist.  And today I went to visit him.

The doctor, who turned out to be Desi, took a very thorough medical history.  When I told him I had been diagnosed with PCOS in December, he asked me about facial hair growth, which I affirmed I had been dealing with my entire life.  

"So how do you manage that?" he asked me.

"Uh..."I answered.  I wasn't sure what to say.  Was he seriously asking me to tell him about my facial hair management routine?  Tweezing?  Threading?  Did he want me to tell him about how I used to wax my face - with horrific results - when I was 15?

"Are you taking any medications?" he elaborated.

"Ohhh!"  I said, laughing.  "No."

"So just plucking, etcetera has been enough?"

"Uh, yeah," I replied, still embarrassed to be discussing this with a young male Desi doctor, of all people.  Somehow it felt like an uber-taboo topic of conversation.  I had been brought up to understand that facial hair should be so well-managed that it should never even cross anyone's mind that it existed.

He ultimately told me since I didn't have a history of thyroid problems, he assumed my test results from the OB were the result of a natural fluctuation of hormones during the first trimester of pregnancy.  He ran some blood tests to confirm.  I was incredibly relieved.  

Before I left, he mentioned that after my pregnancy, he'd be happy to discuss the possibility of medications to reduce my facial hair growth.  I had to remind myself several times that this topic conversation was the outcome of him being an endocrinologist, not any visible chin hairs.  But I stopped by the bathroom to examine my face just in case.