Results say thyroid is fine but....

[svetlana548]

Last October, I noticed I had started gaining weight -- a coat I bought a month prior no longer fit. Went in for a physical, etc - had the TSH levels checked and they came back normal.  Over the winter, i noticed more weight gain, bloating ... starting to feel like I was perpetually one week away from giving birth to a 9 llb. baby. Then over the last month or so, SEVERE fatigue -- so much so that having a nap in the afternoon is compulsory. On a bad day, I can fall asleep driving a few blocks after lunch, I fell asleep while having dental work. This is not just tired, it's overhwhelming fatigue, like someone pulled a switch. I am normally a high energy person, don't sleep at all except at night and now I find myself sleeping a couple of times during the day if I can get away with it, and being exhausted at bedtime. As far as I know, Im sleeping well at night.
Back to the doc this week to discover I have gained 30 lbs. since last October, and my thyroid levels are STILL normal at 1.69. My parents and sister have been on thyroud meds for years.
I am 52 years old, in the middle of menopause I suppose, and had my past period about 9 months ago. Doc thinks this is menopausal related and we are trying 14 days of hormone replacement therapy to see if it helps.
From everything I read, it seems so much like thyroid. It seems like I have not metabolized anything in months, even though plumbing and evetything is working fine. What scares me is the weight gain is not levelling off , it just keeps climbing and climbing and climbing. I'm only 5 feet tall, so 30 lbs is already significant. If anyone has any insight, I would sure appreciate it! Thank you.

[Red_Star]

High levels of estrogen cause unexplained weight gain and feeling fatigued or lethargic.  Low thyroid hormone is a consideration since there is family history of thyroid disease but high estrogen is a more likely cause in my opinion.  A good article on high estrogen is "High Estrogen Overload Symptoms. Dangers Every Woman Should Be Aware Of" from the Healthy You Naturally website.  An excerpt....

"Common Symptoms of Estrogen Overload

PMS
Migraines
Mood Swings
Cramps
Uterine Fibroids
Depression
Unexplained Weight Gain
Fatigue
Osteoporosis
Insomnia
Allergies
Memory Loss
Acne
Hot Flashes
Thinning Hair
Irregular Periods
Breast Tenderness
Miscarriage
Low Sex Drive
High Blood Pressure
Facial Hair
Inflammation

These ailments are now so commonplace, many doctors don’t attempt to make the link to the probability of excess estrogen in the body.

Menopause and estrogen levels explained:

Menopause is often thought of as a time of declining estrogen, but it is actually common for women to experience surges of abnormally high estrogen levels in the menopausal years, as well as earlier in life.

This misconception has led many millions of women to engage in Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) to restore lost” estrogen, hoping to address the above list of conditions.  This additional estrogen may only worsen the problem and even set the stage for the development of deadly disease."

[gimel]

I assume that the thyroid test you listed is for TSH.  If you have other thyroid related tests, please post them , along with their reference ranges shown on the lab report.  TSH alone is totally inadequate to diagnose and treat a hypo patient.  You really need to be tested for the biologically active thyroid hormones, Free T3 and Free T4 (not the same as Total T3 and T4), along with Vitamin D, B12, ferritin, and a full iron test panel.  Also if you have not been diagnosed for the cause of your possible hypothyroidism, it would be good to test for the thyroid antibodies.  Those tests are TPO ab and TG ab.

Free T3 is the most important thyroid hormone test because free T3 largely regulates metabolism and many other body functions.  Scientific studies have also shown that Free T3 correlate best with hypo symptoms, while Free t4 and TSH did not correlate at all.  So, if your Free t3 is too low in the range, your metabolism will also be too low and it will be very difficult, to impossible, to lose and maintain weight loss.