Aa
besides tsh levels, are any other hormones affected after a complete thyriodectomy?
i'm a 50 yr old woman who had a complete t hyroidectomy nrly 3 yrs ago, and i currently take 125 mcg of synthriod. i'm wondering if there is ANY AT ALL connection between *other hormones [namely *estrogen, *progesterone, & *testosterone] & their levels in my body and my tsh levels? in other words, can a woman's tsh levels &/or taking 'synthroid', have any direct or indirect influence on any *other hormones in her body? also, i've been told i'm perimenopausal. if i receive bio-identical hormonetherapy due to low estrogen levels & an extremely low testosterone level, will it affect my tsh levels? lastly, can taking 'propranalol' affect the tsh levels of a person like myself-who's had a complete thyroidectomy?
Aha. Our hormones ARE all working w/in the same network and not independently. The information you shared has confirmed that point, and now I'm faced with some new questions. According to my experience and that of Red_Star's, endocrinologists are reluctant to test other than for TSH levels. If they're reluctant to test, what does that tell me about how he would interpret or incorporate the findings of T3, T4, testosterone, estrogen, etc. levels if I could persuade him to run those tests?? I'm going to get ALL my levels tested elsewhere, then share my findings with my endocrinologist. I'll keep posting any updates here, also. Thank you for posting your comment(s), they are very valuable.
your post has given me lots of things to consider. wow, our bodies are so intricate. thanks for your input, the information is very helpful,
.Thanks for your input and for your consideration in posting. I agree about the T3 & T4, but when I've discussed it w/my dr have been told it wasn't necessary! (maybe because I'm a self-pay patient?). I'll have to look into it. Thanks again!
Good excerpt. I asked for my hormones to be tested and it's almost like the doctor was paying for it out of his own pocket instead of the bill going to the government. He finally agreed to one test - total testosterone. What's up with that? O_o
I ran across this and thought it would add something to this discussion.
Aging and Hormones--The Big Picture
"Aging is not supposed to be good for us; it's Nature's way of killing us! Aging is a pre-programmed process of destruction. The reduction in our hormone levels is one of its mechanisms. As our various tissues deteriorate, so do our endocrine glands and their feedback control systems. As a result, our bodies cease to regulate our hormones for optimal health. Eating right and exercising will help maintain better levels of some hormones, but can't stop the age-related hormone losses. Essential hormones that build tissues and improve immunity (DHEA, Testosterone, growth hormone) begin to disappear after age 25 and by age
80 have been reduced by 50-80%. Progesterone in women starts to decline at age 30 and essentially disappears when periods start to become irregular in the perimenopause--this is probably a significant factor in the rise in breast cancer at this age. Estradiol levels drop 90% at menopause producing osteoporosis, heart disease, and dementia. Thyroid hormone
production and sensitivity decline with age. Insulin production and sensitivity decline leading to diabetes. The truth is that we are imperfect and deteriorating biomolecular machines. Even if we are healthy, we cannot trust our bodies to maintain optimal hormone levels after age 25.
By the age of 50 we've already suffered 20+ years of hormone deficiency.
The conventional view on aging and hormones is that the loss of hormones is adaptive–helps us to live longer. In this view the persistence of youthful levels of hormones would cause more heart attacks and cancers as we age. So losing our hormones is good for us!?! Notice that this fits nicely with the pharmaceutical corporations' agenda: Don't replace your hormones; instead take patented drugs for every symptom and disorder. That's exactly why this view persists in spite of the evidence. One example: How many doctors know that higher testosterone levels help prevent heart attacks in men? How many doctors know that cholesterol levels can be significantly reduced by improving a patient's thyroid hormone levels within the "normal" range?"
Aging and Hormones--The Big Picture
"Aging is not supposed to be good for us; it's Nature's way of killing us! Aging is a pre-programmed process of destruction. The reduction in our hormone levels is one of its mechanisms. As our various tissues deteriorate, so do our endocrine glands and their feedback control systems. As a result, our bodies cease to regulate our hormones for optimal health. Eating right and exercising will help maintain better levels of some hormones, but can't stop the age-related hormone losses. Essential hormones that build tissues and improve immunity (DHEA, Testosterone, growth hormone) begin to disappear after age 25 and by age
80 have been reduced by 50-80%. Progesterone in women starts to decline at age 30 and essentially disappears when periods start to become irregular in the perimenopause--this is probably a significant factor in the rise in breast cancer at this age. Estradiol levels drop 90% at menopause producing osteoporosis, heart disease, and dementia. Thyroid hormone
production and sensitivity decline with age. Insulin production and sensitivity decline leading to diabetes. The truth is that we are imperfect and deteriorating biomolecular machines. Even if we are healthy, we cannot trust our bodies to maintain optimal hormone levels after age 25.
By the age of 50 we've already suffered 20+ years of hormone deficiency.
The conventional view on aging and hormones is that the loss of hormones is adaptive–helps us to live longer. In this view the persistence of youthful levels of hormones would cause more heart attacks and cancers as we age. So losing our hormones is good for us!?! Notice that this fits nicely with the pharmaceutical corporations' agenda: Don't replace your hormones; instead take patented drugs for every symptom and disorder. That's exactly why this view persists in spite of the evidence. One example: How many doctors know that higher testosterone levels help prevent heart attacks in men? How many doctors know that cholesterol levels can be significantly reduced by improving a patient's thyroid hormone levels within the "normal" range?"
COMMUNITY LEADER
TSH is a pituitary hormone, that is affected by a lot of variables, and it can fluctuate wildly, even intra day. In order to assess thyroid hormone levels, you should be testing Free T3 and Free T4, which are the active thyroid hormones and correlate much better with symptoms, that TSH.
As stated by Red_Star - the entire endocrine system is tied together and all hormones are affected by the others. In order to get a good picture of what's going on, you really should try to get them all tested, but do make sure that Free T3 and Free T4 are at the top of the list.
As stated by Red_Star - the entire endocrine system is tied together and all hormones are affected by the others. In order to get a good picture of what's going on, you really should try to get them all tested, but do make sure that Free T3 and Free T4 are at the top of the list.
COMMUNITY LEADER
TSH is a pituitary hormone, that is affected by a lot of variables, and it can fluctuate wildly, even intra day. In order to assess thyroid hormone levels, you should be testing Free T3 and Free T4, which are the active thyroid hormones and correlate much better with symptoms, that TSH.
As stated by Red_Star - the entire endocrine system is tied together and all hormones are affected by the others. In order to get a good picture of what's going on, you really should try to get them all tested, but do make sure that Free T3 and Free T4 are at the top of the list.
As stated by Red_Star - the entire endocrine system is tied together and all hormones are affected by the others. In order to get a good picture of what's going on, you really should try to get them all tested, but do make sure that Free T3 and Free T4 are at the top of the list.
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Thyroid Disorders Community
We tapped the CDC for information on what you need to know about radiation exposure
Endocrinologist Mark Lupo, MD, answers 10 questions about thyroid disorders and how to treat them
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
"If you understand the following two points, then you know as much about hormones as any endocrinologist:
Hormone production peaks around the age 25 and then declines by 1-3% annually thereafter.
All hormones are related and interact with another.
Restated, the older you are, the fewer hormones you have and this is why your body tanks as you get older. There are some cliffs you can fall off along the way – like menopause for women and “andropause” for men.
Because hormones are inter-related with each other, when one hormone is deficient, then this can affect the proportion of the other hormones. Many hormones have feedback mechanisms on each other so that if one is up, the other is down. Similar classes of hormones can share protein carriers in the bloodstream. Relative amounts of one hormone can affect the protein binding of another hormone.
When you start supplementing one hormone, you frequently find yourself supplementing several hormones at the same time because of the hormone interaction. It is very rare to simply supplement one hormone (for example, thyroid) by itself. We almost always end up supplementing some progesterone (and occasionally estrogen) with it.
So what are the major hormones that we deal with?
Thyroid
Progesterone
Estrogen
Adrenal hormones (cortisol, DHEA, pregnenolone)
Testosterone
Growth hormone
Vitamin D
Melatonin"