"Normal" Thyroid Tests; Hypothyrodism Symptoms

[Andi_Smith]

I had thyroid testing completed nine months after delivering my son. I weigh more than I did before I delivered him, can't lose weight, am exhausted, and have difficulty processing. All of my results were considered "normal," but I still believe there is an issue. I see an acupuncturist on a bi-weekly basis and he treats me for my thyroid every time. Any ways, I'm hoping someone with experience can flag anything in my results that I should be aware of. Here they are:

T3, Free
Normal range: 2.57 - 4.4 PG/ML
My result: 3.27

Total T3 Triiodothyronine
Normal range: 80 - 200 NG/DL
My result: 127.1

Free T4
Normal range: 0.9 - 1.7 NG/DL
My result: 1.2

T4 Total
Normal range: 5.0 - 12.5 mcg/dL
My result: 10.8

TSH
Normal range: 0.358 - 3.740 uIU/mL
My result: 1.310

Thanks for all your help!

[goolarra]

Both your FT3 and FT4 are a little on the low side.  Your FT4 is 38% of range, and the target is 50%.  FT3 is also 38% of range, with the target for FT3 being upper half of range.  However, since you are not on thyroid meds, I don't think your levels are low enough to cause your symptoms.  TSH looks really good.  

Vitamin D deficiency and B-12 deficiency can have symptoms that mimic some hypo symptoms.  You might ask your doctor to test those.  Keep in mind that people often have to be quite high up in the ranges on those two vitamins to feel well.  Also, vitamin D is essential for the transport of thyroid hormones into the nucleus of cells.  If thyroid hormones aren't getting into cells, you can feel hypo even with perfectly adequate serum FT3 and FT4 levels.  

Postpartum thyroiditis (PPT), which is considered a variant of Hashi's, is characterized by elevated TPOab and TGab.  The condition is usually temporary, though it can last several months to a year.  It is characterized by a hypER phase after delivery, followed by a return to normal and then the temporary hypO phase, which does sometimes become permanent.  TPOab and TGab would complete your thyroid profile.  However, I disagree that antibodies cause thyroid symptoms "without notably affecting thyroid levels".  Perhaps if the phrase in quotes were replaced with "without thyroid levels being outside of range" I could agree.    

[Red_Star]

Pregnancy is a known trigger for Hashimoto's thyroiditis.  Additional tests to request: thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb) and thyroglobulin antibodies (TgAb). These antibodies can cause hypothyroid symptoms without notably affecting thyroid labs.