misdiagnosed hypothyroidism?

[garner18]

Hi there. I am 30 years old and have had irregular periods ever since I was 11. I went on the pill at 16 and since then, have come off of it three times. I get my period like clockwork the following month and then never again. Three months ago I went to the doctor and got my blood tested.
-TSH came back at 5.9
-T3 was 4.6
-T4 was 13

My doctor started me on 50mg of Synthroid which brought my TSH down to levels between 1.5 and 3. It's been three months and my periods still have not returned. My questions are this:

1. Could my high TSH have been a fluke? Had I been re-tested a few weeks later, could those levels have dropped down to below 2.5 on their own?

2. After getting in the ideal TSH range, how long should it take for my periods to return?

Any answers would be appreciated, as my husband and I are trying to conceive.

Thank you in advance!

[bluestarmom187]

I do not have an answer but when I typed in "TSH missed periods" a whole bunch of stuff popped up. Looks like a lot of women have had this problem. You may look at some of those things on google if you do not get a response here. I wish you well in your efforts to conceive.

[KD9ER]

I don't think you were misdiagnosed.  There are other side effects because of Hypothyroidism.  Has your doctor considered PCOS?  Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome?  

Who knows how long you've been Hypo...it could have been since you were 11!  This disease does not discriminate with age like others do.  Although there is some upsides to this...Hypo patients tend to be able to conceive easier than Hyper patients.  

I am Hypo too and also have trouble conceiving.  There are other tests your doctor can run.  First off are you seeing an Endo or Internal Meds doc?  If you aren't, that NEEDS to be your first step.  Find a good doc.  When you call for the appointment make sure to ask what kind of Endo you are dealing with---primarily focused in Diabetes or Thyroid.  If they say primarily Diabetes, find a different doc.  Trust me on this.  You don't want to waste your time like so many of us have done.  

Second, if you have not had tests for FSH run or other "female hormone tests" run---then you need to have that run.  I am abnormal in most of my female hormones.  I'm 24.  I constantly get the "you're too young for this" answer---even with my thyroid.  Please, please, please make sure your levels are tested.  This is SOOOOO important.  The reason you aren't getting your period is you are not ovulating.  This means your body isn't telling your ovaries to mature an egg to be released.  A very common problem.  I deal with a 6-8 week cycle as I found one ovary does not work.  It's just hit the fritz and refuses to function.  No biggy--it just means I get a period every other month.  My docs are still trying to "fix" it, but the last 3 generations of women in my family have it.  Also, have your docs ruled out Endometriosis?  This can cause infertility issues too.

Third---your thyroid plays a relatively small part in your ovulation.  I'm not saying it has no part, certainly getting your levels right will help, but if your doc is not looking at the WHOLE picture--then something is being overlooked.  Get labs...and lots of them.  

I want you to also pop over to the PCOS Forum and Fertility Forum under the Medical Support Communities.  I want you to repost this post there and see what those members have to offer too.  I know other members will bop on to this and help you out too in this forum so please keep this thread here.

I wish you THE BEST of luck with conceiving!  I'm walking that road too.  It's not easy, but keep your chin up.  It'll be worth it.

-K

[garner18]

Wow!! Thank you so much for all that great advice! To answer a couple of your points, my doctor set an appointment up with an OB-GYN and I go see him on January 26. Hopefully he'll run some more tests and find out why I'm not ovulating.

Four years ago I got an ultrasound done (not a vaginal one - may request this) and they saw no sign of PCOS. I also got my FSH, LH and progesterone tested, and all are on the low end of the range and fall into the "follicular" phase on the blood test. Four years ago the results were a little bit higher, but still fell within the follicular phase on the test. I also got my testosterone levels checked and they're within normal ranges.

Is there anything else I should be asking for? My doctor prescribed a five day course of Provera to kickstart my periods (I haven't had one in 6 months and figured I should "clean myself out.") so we'll see how that goes.

Thanks again for your advice - it is really really appreciated!!

[KD9ER]

I forgot to ask when you came off Birth Control?  You were on it a very long time and it is my understanding it can take anywhere from 1 day to 2 years to become fertile again.  Just a thought...it might not be this at all, but I was wondering.

[garner18]

I came off of it in May '08...you're right, that could be a reason...it'll be very interesting to see what the specialist has to say. The 26th can't come fast enough!

[KD9ER]

I hear you on that!  I've been off Mirena for a year now.  It was supposed to help me, but it caused my body to go into over fertility and I ended up having 3 miscarriages on it!  The doctors refused to remove it after the first miscarriage and by the 3rd I threated a lawsuit.  I was put through a rollercoaster for no reason.  

My body hypes up when I take birth control--hence my son (he's 2).  He was very unexpected and since giving birth to him, I've had nothing but complications with fertility.  It's been enlightening to say the least and it certainly can stress me out.  I'm sure you understand the stress and I feel for you.  It's not an easy journey.  

I know having an outlet for the stress is good.  I hope you have some good hobbies that you can dive into when everything seems a bit too much.  Scrapbooking is my vice.  :)  

Please post when you get some more lab results!  I know we'd love to keep helping as much as we can.

-K