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Low body temp?

Just curious, having low body temperature between 95.8 - 96.8 lately - could this be a sign of thyroid disorder? I don't ever remember my body temperature being this low.
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Avatar universal
RT4
I was just reading this and have had a normal range body temperature from 95's to mid 96's for years now.  that's taken in the mouth at home and at doctors offices.  I know as far as this winter Ive done pretty well outside with tshirt and jacket on in 30's- 40 degree weather, though other time periods Ive been colder than other people, I don't think the coldness I feel is particularly un-normal. I got tested for thyroid from the doctor because of fatigue shes been trying to convince me Im "sad"(aka depressed) shes said its normal twice in the last 3 years now.  I didn't know what could cause low temp but knew there could be something to it. If it's not thyroid what could it be? I kept having low counts of white blood cells for a while but the test a month ago came back normal finally. yesterday my temp was 96 and today it's 96.4 normal temps for me.
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Avatar universal
I was diagnosed with Hashimotos Thyroid disease several years ago but not before the damage led to the removal of my entire thyroid gland.  For over 10 years Drs would take one look at my neck and my symptoms and ask if my thyroid had been check recently. And as always my levels would come back completely within range so thyroid disease was ruled out, that is until one endocrinologist just wasn't satisfied that it wasn't thyroid related and humbled himself to call in another specialist who immediately asked if I had been tested for Hashimotos Autoimmune thyroid disease.  The test came back positive!  
And as far as body temperature goes,  used to be a normal of around 99.5-100 when I was a teen and in early 20's but as the disease progressed and especially after my thyroid surgery it ranges from 96 to 100 depending on my thyroid. I can go from hypo to hyper (or vice versa ) in 6 weeks or less.  My blood is drawn every 6 wks to 3 months depending on how drastic the change was in my previous levels and my meds are adjusted accordingly.
I started on 150 mcg of levothroid and now my meds range from 75 mcg - 125 mcg .
It never ceases to amazes me at just what all you thyroid effects and the wide range of symptoms and conditions. And can be over looked and  misdiagnosed as everything from childhood and adult A.D.D. and depression to diabetes and hundreds of things in between and goes hand in hand with other autoimmune diseases like Celiac, Graves and Chromes disese  !. Good luck
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Avatar universal
Are you cured of Lymes? Did you have it for long? Can you explain how lymes effects thyroid? (Just generally speaking).
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Avatar universal
There is a book by Dr. Broda Barnes.  It is old but his extensive research clearly links low basal body temp to Thyroid.  I wouldn't say that he used it SOLELY as the indicator.  But it was used at least if not more effectively as TSH as an indicator.  Combined with other symptoms.

In his book he also documents the direct connection to women having menstrual issues.  Many leading to hysterectomy's.  And when going back and checking many women who had hysterectomy's he showed that a huge vast percentage of those women were found to by hypothyroid.  Which leads one to ask the question of the possibility if they had properly treated the hypothyroid condition, would they have needed the hysterectomy?  No one know for sure.

Anyhow in his book he states that the only way to accurately take a basal body temp is to put a basal thermometer or old mercury thermometer on the night stand by your bed.  And the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning moving as little as possible is to put the thermometer under your arm and lay as near to motionless as possible for 15 minutes.  Then record your temp.  The under arm temp should be for normal rage between I believe it was 97.8 and 98.2.  If below that temp it is an INDICATION you my be Hypo.  If over the max range you MAY be hyper.  He found that treating thyroid with meds the symptoms would diminish until somewhere within this range.

For women in his book he gave a guide as to when in the menstrual cycle these temps can be taken.  For a man it can be any day.

Also we have to remember that just like the reference range on TSH or any blood lab, ranges are made up of a large group of people.  Some are warmer and some are cooler.  What is normal for any one individual varies.  Also remember that the 98.6 or whatever temp is also made up by a percentage of the population that is hypo.  Also a smaller percentage that is hyper.  So how that relates to you is completely custom tailored to you and your body.

All I can say is that my wife took her temp and she would never get above 97.0.  Since then the blood labs showed she needed increased dosage of T4 meds.  Her symptoms are going away. And she no longer needs to be wrapped up all day and have the electric heating blanket on high all night.  She now is just under regular blankets and doesn't have to wear socks to bed anymore.

TSH is like a thermostat in your house that tells the furnace to start up and start putting out heat.  The Thyroid is the furnace.  If the furnace is not running or not running enough or efficiently, just like your house, it will not get warm.(or too hot if hyper)  Neither will you if your thyroid is not putting out.
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Avatar universal
As far as thyroid treatment, most doctors are hung up in one of two ways.  Either they have the "Immaculate TSH Belief" and use TSH as the sole diagnostic, or they also use FT4 and/or FT3, but interpret anything within the ranges as "normal", requiring nothing further.

Neither of these approaches really works.  TSH is a pituitary hormone that is affected by so many variables that it is inadequate as a diagnostic.  At best it is an indicator, to be considered along with more important indicators such as symptoms, and also the levels of the biologically active thyroid hormones, free T3 and free T4.  FT3 is the more important of these because it largely regulates metabolism and many other body functions.  Studies have shown that it correlates best with hypo symptoms, while TSH and FT4 did not correlate very well at all.

FT3 and FT4 test results in the lower part of the range frequently isn't adequate to relieve symptoms, either.  I won't go into the details, but the ranges are far too broad.  Members frequently report that symptom relief for them required that FT3 was adjusted into the upper part of its range and FT4 adjusted to at least midpoint of its range.

It is good that you have at least been tested for FT3 and FT4, along with TSH.   What you need now is a good thyroid doctor that will treat you clinically, by testing and adjusting FT3 and FT4 adequately to relieve symptoms.  Symptom relief should be all important, not test results.

If you will read through this link I think you will find it very interesting.  It was written by a good thyroid doctor.   It is sent to the PCP of patients consulting with the author from a distance.  It is intended to help the PCP in treatment of the patient.  It makes pretty clear that clinical treatment is best.

http://hormonerestoration.com/files/ThyroidPMD.pdf

If you cannot find a good thyroid doctor, how far are you willing to travel to find one?  Jackson?
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1094941 tn?1264559085
HI. I am 42. I have been on bioidentical hormone replacement for 2 mos. I have felt a little better but I still feel tired and irritable. I am always cold lately worse than ever and have gained some wt despite the fact that I work out and watch calorie intake.  I went back to the doctor and had thyroid test done and of course I was told it was normal. I know I am hypothyroid because I have alot of the symptoms and my body temp is always low. This doctor will not help me! I need help! My body temp is always around 96.2-96.5. My TSH was 0.825, free T4 was 1.46 and free T3 was 3.0.
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168348 tn?1379357075
Channel your anger at those uncalled remarks into new energy from within .... do something to help another person, or do something you enjoy and can relax from (for me, it's lighting a nice candle) .... buy imaginary earplugs and wear a tough alligator skin .. those two things help a lot ...

Ignorance I have no time for when others judge harshly w/o wisdom or knowledge!

You are in the right place here ......................VENT AWAY!

C~
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Avatar universal
"It is the pits when word gets back to me that some people were saying I am lazy..."  ~ Based on what you've touched on here; it's sad to read that you've had to hear feedback like that.  I wish you well with everything.
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Avatar universal
I am not thinking of the one symptom (low body temp) as the only symptom to "think" I have hypo. I am also gaining weight for no reason, have fatigue, and I am depressed. I know I have low metabolism because I also have no energy at all. It is the pits when word gets back to me that some people were saying I am lazy - they haven't a clue what is really going on with me.
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Avatar universal
No question that basal body temperature can be affected by problems other than just thyroid.  It is not a diagnostic, it is just one of a number of symptoms of low metabolism and possibly low thyroid.  In my biased opinion  I think it is a better symptom than others such as fatigue since temperature is objective, i.e. it can be measured and described by a number, as opposed to others such as fatigue.  Basal body temperature has also been shown to have a high degree of correlation to basal metabolism.  

I don't see anyone debating whether we should accept  fatigue, or depression, or hair loss, or "brain fog" as symptoms, even though these subjective symptoms can also be affected by many factors besides thyroid.  So I'm at a loss as to why basal temperature continues to attract so much discussion.  Perhaps it is because of being incorrectly used in the past by a few such as Dr. Wilson, as a diagnostic, by which to determine some misguided treatment.  That is a totally unrelated to using basal temperature as a symptom.  

In summary, I see no good reason to deny or ignore basal temp. as a symptom. I think a low basal body temperature is not normal, is indicative of low metabolism,  and is a good reason to go in for more testing to determine underlying causes, whether it be thyroid or otherwise.  

In your case, a TSH of .13 is below the recommended low limit, but do you have hyper symptoms as well?   I had a TSH that was suppressed below .2 for many years (and therefore considered hyper by many),  because of taking too much T4 med..  But I never had hyper symptoms along with it.  In fact, even at that level I actually still had mild hypo symptoms and a moderately low body temp. of 97.2.   Only recently did I learn the underlying cause, which was poor conversion of T4 to T3.  Even though only recently switching to Armour thyroid my TSH is increasing, FT3 has moved from 2.3 up to 3.0, my basal temp. has increased to its highest level ever at 97.6, and I'm feeling best ever, symptom wise.     FWIW

m    
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213044 tn?1236527460
I have been thinking of putting an entry in the health pages about "Wilson's Syndrome". I'll do it soon if there is not one there yet.

Here's something to ponder;

I have been taking my temp for over a year now, and it ranges between 95 and 97. I've been wearing a jacket year round in the house.

I've been hyper several times. I'm hyper right now. My TSH is 0.13, and my temp is 96.7.

So if I'm hyper, why is my core temp down?
If my core temp is down when I am hyper, how is Basal Body Temp relevant in the dignosing of hypothyroidism?
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Avatar universal
Thanks everyone for your comments :) I did say that I see my Endo in March, but I was wrong - it's April when I see him again, but I think I will be calling and making an appointment to see him sooner. I feel cold most of the time now and this is not normal for me - GOSH! I was having hot flashes and now it's been cold flashes! Ever hear of such a thing?
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534785 tn?1329592208
I use a digital thermometer. What is important to remember when using these is the location of the thermometer when you're taking a temperature reading--the temperature will vary by a degree or so if it's being taken under the tongue, rather than the armpit.

Regardless of how "exact" the digital thermometer's reading is, if you place it in the same location each time, and you notice a change in the reading from one day to the next, chances are, your temperature has actually changed by that absolute amount. For example, if your temperature is 98.2 today and you measure it tomorrow as 96.8, it's very likely that your temperature did increase by 0.6 degrees. Whether or not your thermometer is calibrated and started at the correct temperature and ended at a correct temperature, doesn't mean that your temperature did not actually change from one day to the next. The thermometer does have a certain accuracy, provided you give it time to thermally equilibrate, and assuming you're using it it the same location each time (improves accuracy). Even if your temperature isn't exactly 98.8 at that moment in time, you'll still be able to say, "My temperature increased over the past day by approximately 0.6 degrees."

What I do before taking my temperature (generally, I put the thermometer under my tongue) is to let the thermometer reach thermal equilibrium by waiting a minute or two until I take a reading. Then, just to be sure the temperature is accurate, I will repeat the reading once or twice until the thermometer's reading is no longer increasing or decreasing. This gives me my change in temperature as compared to the last reading, and I know that it's fairly close, if not the actual, temperature.

Honestly, I don't know much about Dr. Wilson and the reason I look to temperature as an indicator of something wrong with my body is because there is a physiological basis behind body temperature, and from learning about this, I find temperature readings to be useful as "data" to consider along with the rest of my symptoms, or lack thereof.
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168348 tn?1379357075
I was thinking ... why don't you make up a Health Page with everybody's viewpoints on Dr. Wilson .... and maybe when the topic comes up refer the member to this health page that's been created by a few thyroid members who have differeing viewpoints and maybe that will give the member everybody's view without having to retype it each time??

Just a thought.

My daughter gets low temps before getting ill .. her thyroid is fine.

C~
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Avatar universal
“Anyway, I always believed that it can go both ways with the body temp - if it's higher than 98.6 then there is something wrong and if it's lower than 97 then there is also something wrong.”  ~ True.  And we need a dr to help decipher what’s really going on, as ‘something’ could mean ‘anything’ - not only hypothyroidism.

I can share…  The other day I went to my endo appt where the dr, as usual, painstakingly goes through a symptoms’ list.  At one point he asked me if I was ‘feeling’ colder than usual at all.  At no point did he ask me if I’d taken my own basal body temperature or if I knew what it was.  In fact, while I was there no one took my temperature either.

As far as body temperature goes – it’s part of a list of symptoms.

Have you ever been evaluated by an endocrinologists?  With all the issues you’ve touched on, that might be a good idea at this point.

Also, in noting the issues you’ve touched on that you’re experiencing; I can add that I would recommend that as you seek out information to stick with reputable sources - like the American Thyroid Association, The Endocrine Society and teaching universities.

Take care.
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484160 tn?1343397921
I have been recently diagnosed with hypothyroidism and less recently with Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease.  My body temp usually ranges from 95.5 to 97.5.  My body temp used to be spot on 98.6.  What are the repercussions of having body temps below 97 on a regular basis?
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393685 tn?1425812522
You would feel a bit chilled at that body temp.

I really wouldn't hurt to see if you could ge tested for thyroid problems.

There is a check list available to pull up and see if you match more symptoms of a possible thryoid problem.

Google search Hypothyroid Check List - and print one out so you can see if you are having the issues listed on that too.
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Avatar universal
I would certainly follow up with some blood testing for possible thyroid issues.  If you do, insist that free T3 and free T4, be checked along with TSH.  If you want to do some reading on thyroid problems, here is a good site I found.

http://www.salugenecists.com/genpage.php?tname=disease&dbid=21
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Avatar universal
I have 3 digital therms and use ALL of them to try and get an idea of what my body temp is. Funny some of you mention the old fashioned mercury glass therm - I bet mine is somewhere hidden in the bathroom. I will have to look.

Anyway, I always believed that it can go both ways with the body temp - if it's higher than 98.6 then there is something wrong and if it's lower than 97 then there is also something wrong. Last night I took it before I went to bed and it was 95.3 - is that too low? I am really starting to worry because I have also been feeling VERY cold lately. I know here in NY it is cold, but I have NEVER felt cold like this before.
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393685 tn?1425812522
I have the good old fashion therm too. I think it was from when I was a kid and my mom gave it to me - or I had it when my boys were small....

Ebay here I come!  LOL

From anything I have been told by doctors - or reading - a "mouth" therm is more accurate than any ear measurement.

Yet doctors tell me the good old fashion ones are more accurate - but they use the ear  during a nurse's exam

( shaking my head )
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Avatar universal
I'm glad to know that I now may have the last remaining mercury thermometer on the planet.  So I am now going to keep it under lock and key while I accept bids on it.  LOL

Since I have only been using this thermometer, obviously accuracy has not been a question for me.  I can't speak to the accuracy of today's digital thermometers, however, I had seen a Consumers Report review that also would not recommend ear or forehead contact type of thermometers.  

"The more expensive ear thermometers take a reading in just one second. However, Consumer Reports found the readings might not be reliable….The forehead thermometer from Exergen is slid across the forehead to get a temperature. Yet at $50, it is also pricey and was not especially precise. The $10 Accu-Beep digital thermometer from BD did the best job. It beeps when properly placed under the tongue and gives an accurate reading in sixty seconds. If you want a thermometer reading even faster, Consumer Reports found two other very good performers that cost $13. They are the Vick's Comfort-Flex and Omron 20 Seconds Digital. Both thermometers will give a reading in 30 seconds or less."

There was no indication of what they consider as accurate on the ones they did recommend.   For most accurate results it's always best to check several times and average the results.  To be symptomatic of low metabolism and possibly low thyroid, I believe that average body temperature differential from normal would be several orders of magnitude greater than the variability of even a digital thermometer.  

What am I offered for my mercury thermometer?
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280485 tn?1249013844
My question to all of you who constantly argue about the relevance of body temperature as it relates to thyroid disease is this:  How do you take an effective measure of your body's temperature?  What tool is used?

I have EVERY thermometer known to man.  As do my sisters who have small children.  I have a basal thermometer I purchased when I was trying to conceive.  I bought an expensive thermoscan ear thermometer when I had my daughter.  What a waste.  It makes me laugh to use it on her as she'd be dead if she really had a temperature that low.  (And yes, I do know how to use it!)  

The only reliable method of taking a body's temperature as far as I'm concerned is a good old fashioned mercury thermometer.  But alas, the last one I owned (and I'm sure the last one on the planet...) slipped through my then 5 year old's hands and shattered to peices about a year ago. (Much to my horror!)  

Through the years I've purchased a slew of other digital thermometers which, in my opinion, are only good for land fill fodder!  I mostly use the old cheek on the forehead method and rely on my gut instincts as a mother, as to whether or not to send my child to school.  If we were to only use these tools, in my opinion, everyone would be below 98.6 and technically hypothyroid.

My point I guess, is this.  How can basal body temperature be used as a good or bad diagnostic tool for thyroid issues, when we, the mothers of the world, can't even get a correct temperature for something as simple and frightening as a child's cold?
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534785 tn?1329592208
I couldn't agree more. In fact, my abnormally low body temperature was one of the first things that tipped me off to something being wrong. When your temperature is consistently 1.5 - 2 degrees lower than it generally is, that's your body telling you something is wrong--much like a fever. If your body temperature suddenly drops to < 96 degrees and stays in that range for an extended period of time (a day or two), it is considered a medical problem that should be evaluated as soon as possible. Yet there isn't any standard for evaluating temperatures between 96 and 98.6 degrees, even if you aren't normally that temperature! If any of my doctors paid attention to my temperature in conjunction with my slightly elevated TSH and the countless other symptoms, I'd probably be taking medication to treat my hypothyroidism right now...but sadly, that's not the case.
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Avatar universal
Yes, body temperature is useful as a symptom of low metabolism and potentially low thyroid levels, for followup with blood testing.  I've wondered why it doesn't always get shown as one of the symptoms of thyroid problems, along with the many others such as fatigue, etc.  Perhaps it has been somewhat discredited  because of being incorrectly used in the past by a few such as Dr. Wilson, as a diagnostic to determine some misguided treatment.

Since body temperature can be measured objectively and correlated with basal metabolism more accurately than the many subjective symptoms,  I think it should actually be shown at the top of the list of symptoms to be considered.  
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