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Am I having Hypothyroidism?
I am facing extreme hair loss from a long time. Also I am not able to lose weight easily. So I got my hormone checkup.
Prolactin : 26.22 ( on a scale of 5.18 to 26.53)
Thyroid profile :
Tri-Iodo Thyronin (T3) : 111.7 ( on a scale of 60 to 181 ng/dL)
Thyroxin (T4): 9.10 ( on a scale of 3.20 to 12.6 ug/dL)
Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) : 5.02 ( on a scale of 0.35 to 5.50 uIU/mL)
(Thyroid profile using CLIA Method)
I asked my doctor if I am having Hypothroidism but she said no).
Now I am periods one time in 6 months. It is frustrating. I need to know, are these reports fine??
Prolactin : 26.22 ( on a scale of 5.18 to 26.53)
Thyroid profile :
Tri-Iodo Thyronin (T3) : 111.7 ( on a scale of 60 to 181 ng/dL)
Thyroxin (T4): 9.10 ( on a scale of 3.20 to 12.6 ug/dL)
Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) : 5.02 ( on a scale of 0.35 to 5.50 uIU/mL)
(Thyroid profile using CLIA Method)
I asked my doctor if I am having Hypothroidism but she said no).
Now I am periods one time in 6 months. It is frustrating. I need to know, are these reports fine??
I agree with everything goolarra has told you. Your complaint of hair loss made me think of another possible contributor, low ferritin. I went back and found this old thread that had some info about low ferritin and hair loss. This is what a member said.
"Looking at your labs , what jumped out at me was your Ferritin is extremely low. I went through horrible hormonal hair loss due to quitting birth control pills at 51 and being in menopause . Low estrogen and low ferritin were problems and will be for any female. No matter what the cause of your hair loss you cant regrow hair until you get your Ferritin level above 70 and preferably above 100. The only good information I received from a dermatologist was the Ferritin clue. Once my Ferritin was over 70 my hair started sprouting.
Hair follicles contain ferritin. When ferritin stores decline in the hair follicle, it affects the ability of the hair to grow causing non-pigmented fine hairs to develop. These hairs are often mistaken for androgenic alopecia. Low ferritin also causes the hair to change structure, become dry, not hold the curl or color well and break easily. Hair loss can be gradual, a general thinning out over the years, or it can be sudden and startling."
And from another source.
"Research has shown that a large proportion of women reporting hair loss had low ferritin levels, compared with the levels generally found in women without hair loss, and interestingly in men. The main reason for this difference is due to the loss of blood during menstruation, which is just enough to cause a gradual depletion of iron stores, particularly in women who eat little or no red meat.
Low iron intake has been known for some time to be a potential problem for millions of women, but it is only now that it is recognised that this factor can contribute to increased hair shedding, and that this condition is really quite common.
In fact, in a recent survey of 500 women, it was found that a staggering 33% reported hair loss. This was observed as an increase in the amount of hair shed or a reduction in the length grown, both of which contribute to a reduction in hair volume if the problem persists for any length of time.
So if you believe your hair has less volume than it did a few years ago you can at least console yourself with the fact that 1 in 3 women also consider themselves to be in the same position. If your diet has little or no red meat and/or you suffer heavy menstrual bleeding then this increases the likelihood that a dietary imbalance is causing the problem.
Correcting the imbalance can increase the length of hair growth
Research has shown that if the iron deficiency is corrected and the serum ferritin level is raised to a certain 'trigger point' then hair growth will start. In fact, what actually happens is that the growing stage of the follicles is lengthened so there are, at any one time, more hairs in the growing stage.
This means that hair volume will start to increase and any excessive shedding will reduce. But this takes several months because ferritin levels can only be raised gradually and once the 'trigger point' is reached and hair growth starts, it takes 2-3 months for the shedding to reduce and another 3-6 months for the new hair to reach a length that contributes to hair volume."
"Looking at your labs , what jumped out at me was your Ferritin is extremely low. I went through horrible hormonal hair loss due to quitting birth control pills at 51 and being in menopause . Low estrogen and low ferritin were problems and will be for any female. No matter what the cause of your hair loss you cant regrow hair until you get your Ferritin level above 70 and preferably above 100. The only good information I received from a dermatologist was the Ferritin clue. Once my Ferritin was over 70 my hair started sprouting.
Hair follicles contain ferritin. When ferritin stores decline in the hair follicle, it affects the ability of the hair to grow causing non-pigmented fine hairs to develop. These hairs are often mistaken for androgenic alopecia. Low ferritin also causes the hair to change structure, become dry, not hold the curl or color well and break easily. Hair loss can be gradual, a general thinning out over the years, or it can be sudden and startling."
And from another source.
"Research has shown that a large proportion of women reporting hair loss had low ferritin levels, compared with the levels generally found in women without hair loss, and interestingly in men. The main reason for this difference is due to the loss of blood during menstruation, which is just enough to cause a gradual depletion of iron stores, particularly in women who eat little or no red meat.
Low iron intake has been known for some time to be a potential problem for millions of women, but it is only now that it is recognised that this factor can contribute to increased hair shedding, and that this condition is really quite common.
In fact, in a recent survey of 500 women, it was found that a staggering 33% reported hair loss. This was observed as an increase in the amount of hair shed or a reduction in the length grown, both of which contribute to a reduction in hair volume if the problem persists for any length of time.
So if you believe your hair has less volume than it did a few years ago you can at least console yourself with the fact that 1 in 3 women also consider themselves to be in the same position. If your diet has little or no red meat and/or you suffer heavy menstrual bleeding then this increases the likelihood that a dietary imbalance is causing the problem.
Correcting the imbalance can increase the length of hair growth
Research has shown that if the iron deficiency is corrected and the serum ferritin level is raised to a certain 'trigger point' then hair growth will start. In fact, what actually happens is that the growing stage of the follicles is lengthened so there are, at any one time, more hairs in the growing stage.
This means that hair volume will start to increase and any excessive shedding will reduce. But this takes several months because ferritin levels can only be raised gradually and once the 'trigger point' is reached and hair growth starts, it takes 2-3 months for the shedding to reduce and another 3-6 months for the new hair to reach a length that contributes to hair volume."
Your TSH is on the high side, but you are not hypo. Your FT4 is at 63% of range, which is high of midrange. FT3 is at 74% of range. Neither of those indicate hypo. When FT3 and FT4 are high, TSH should be low.
Did your doctor diagnose you with hypothyroidism? Is he going to treat you?
Your prolactin is high, you've missed periods, and your TSH is high despite FT3 and FT4 levels on the high side. If I were you, I'd definitely seek a second opinion. And I'd question pituitary involvement.
Did your doctor diagnose you with hypothyroidism? Is he going to treat you?
Your prolactin is high, you've missed periods, and your TSH is high despite FT3 and FT4 levels on the high side. If I were you, I'd definitely seek a second opinion. And I'd question pituitary involvement.
Thank you for the information. Even my doctor did not clearly give me an idea of what Problem I might have. I got my blood tests done again. Here are a few things that were peculiar.
Prolactin : 33.47 ng/mL (5.18-26.53)
Progesterone : 0.2 ng/mL
Testosterone (total) : 41.41 ng/dL (10.83-56.94)
Free T3 : 3.80 pg/mL (2.10 - 4.40)
Free T4: 1.19 ng/dL (0.70 - 1.48)
Thyroid Stimulating Hormone : 4.76 uIU/mL (0.35 - 5.50)
TSH (Ultrasensitive) : 4.293 uIU/mL (0.350 - 4.940)
ANTI TPO: 0.15 U/mL (<5.61 )
Glucose (Random): 90 mg/dL (70 - 160)
Serum Insulin Level (Random) : 32.30 uIU/mL
All the doctor could tell me was that I have high insulin and should consider metformin for controlling my sugar. He did not say anything about my prolactin levels. He said they might be increased due to high tsh levels and hypothyroidism.
Prolactin : 33.47 ng/mL (5.18-26.53)
Progesterone : 0.2 ng/mL
Testosterone (total) : 41.41 ng/dL (10.83-56.94)
Free T3 : 3.80 pg/mL (2.10 - 4.40)
Free T4: 1.19 ng/dL (0.70 - 1.48)
Thyroid Stimulating Hormone : 4.76 uIU/mL (0.35 - 5.50)
TSH (Ultrasensitive) : 4.293 uIU/mL (0.350 - 4.940)
ANTI TPO: 0.15 U/mL (<5.61 )
Glucose (Random): 90 mg/dL (70 - 160)
Serum Insulin Level (Random) : 32.30 uIU/mL
All the doctor could tell me was that I have high insulin and should consider metformin for controlling my sugar. He did not say anything about my prolactin levels. He said they might be increased due to high tsh levels and hypothyroidism.
25 mcg is a very low dose. It's probably not enough to do much. Your TT4 is already above the target level of 50% of range, so it's doubtful you are hypo. Stopping that low a dose of meds shouldn't cause any problems.
We don't know what's causing your elevated TSH, so it's hard to comment on what will happen in the future if you stop taking the meds. TSH is supposed to accurately reflect thyroid hormone levels. When FT3 and FT4 go down, TSH goes up and vice versa. However, practically speaking, many things can throw TSH off so it doesn't reflect levels accurately. With your TT4 where it is, we'd expect your TSH to be considerable lower than it is. With prolactin high in the range and TSH over range, I'd question pituitary involvement.
We don't know what's causing your elevated TSH, so it's hard to comment on what will happen in the future if you stop taking the meds. TSH is supposed to accurately reflect thyroid hormone levels. When FT3 and FT4 go down, TSH goes up and vice versa. However, practically speaking, many things can throw TSH off so it doesn't reflect levels accurately. With your TT4 where it is, we'd expect your TSH to be considerable lower than it is. With prolactin high in the range and TSH over range, I'd question pituitary involvement.
No the doctor just prescribed me Thyronorm 25mcg. He said it will bring the levels down. But if I am not Hypothyroid why should I have the medicine. Will abruptly stop taking this medicine create any problem in future?
If I take this medicine and levels become lower, will they increase more than the thyroid limit in future if I stop taking this medicine?
If I take this medicine and levels become lower, will they increase more than the thyroid limit in future if I stop taking this medicine?
Your doctor has ordered total T3 and total T4. These tests are not as good as free T3 and free T4.
Your T4 is a little on the high side of the 50% of range guideline. Yours is 63%. Your T3 is at 43%, and the guideline for T3 is 50+%.
TSH is high, especially if you consider that AACE recommended many years ago that TSH range be adjusted to 0.3-3.0.
Both your TSH and prolactin (both pituitary hormones) are on the high side. Have you asked your doctor about a possible pituitary issue?
Your T4 is a little on the high side of the 50% of range guideline. Yours is 63%. Your T3 is at 43%, and the guideline for T3 is 50+%.
TSH is high, especially if you consider that AACE recommended many years ago that TSH range be adjusted to 0.3-3.0.
Both your TSH and prolactin (both pituitary hormones) are on the high side. Have you asked your doctor about a possible pituitary issue?
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