My period is late, is it due to increased syntroid dose?

[Gridin2382]

I was put on 50 Mcg of Synthroid to keep my levels between 0 and 2 since I’m trying to get pregnant, a few weeks ago I got tested and came back a little over 2 (2.3 or 2.6) so I was given a higher dose of 75mcg. But now my period is more than a week late which never has happened before even before being put on this medication. Doctor I saw doesn’t think it’s the dosage change the reason of my period so late. I would like to hear other opinions please, I’m so frustrated Ive had painful PMS symptoms for 2 weeks but no period. Thanks

[flyingfool]

TSH is useless. Your own explaination of feeling no different when it was like 2 than when it was at or about 8. That to me proves how useless it is at determining your actual thyroid hormone state at the cellular level.

[Gridin2382]

Hi, since pregnancy is what we’re aiming for here it could be possible but I’ve done at least 4 home tests and they all are negative. The doctor I saw actually gave me a requisition for a blood pregnancy test to do in a week from now is my period doesn’t show.
Yes, the range I was given to stick between 0 and 2 was my TSH, that has been the only test I’ve had for years.
My levels of TSH have been up and down but never have reached serious levels, I’ve always stayed below 8. And I believe I was at 4 before I was put on syntroid following the advice of a fertility Doctor. I had no symptoms really, not even before syntroid. But more importantly my periods were very regular.
No, I have never been tested for autoimmune condition. I have to say that I’m in Canada where healthcare is covered by the Government and doctors wanna have you in and out of their patient room as soon as they can without having to test you more (since that jacks up the bills to healthcare) , therefore is not easy to persuade them on more testing and not easy to find a doctor who knows more about endocrinology and is willing to really help you properly, that’s why I’ve been only tested for TSH.

[Barb135]

Unfortunately, TSH is pretty useless once we're on thyroid medication, for keeping track of thyroid status because hormone levels don't really correlate with it will.  My TSH, for instance, stays at < 0.01, so if that's all they were ordering for me, the doctor would, obviously, think I'm hyper (many do anyway because that's the first thing they look at).  

I understand that it's sometimes harder to get proper testing in Canada because of the government run health care, but we've had lots of members who have been able to get the right testing simply by asking.  Have you discussed the need for Free T4 and Free T3 with your doctor?  Or the possibility that you could have an autoimmune condition... the most likely one you'd have would be Hashimoto's, which is the # 1 cause of hypothyroidism in the developed world.   Here, we ask for the tests; we don't wait for the doctor to offer them because many of them won't even though we pay dearly for insurance or pay outright for the lab tests.

Next time you see your doctor ask about the Free T4 and Free T3 tests because TSH isn't going to help you get pregnant and/or carry a healthy fetus, but Free T4 and Free T3 will.  

Treatment for Hashimoto's is really any different from that of hypothyroidism caused by anything else, but if you have Hashimoto's, your thyroid will be gradually destroyed until it no longer produces anything.  The antibody tests you need to determine if you have Hashimoto's are Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPOab) and Thyroglobulin Antibodies (TgAb).  

As for your pregnancy tests, I suppose if they keep coming back negative, you aren't pregnant, but if anything, the increased dose of thyroid med would "help" you get pregnant, not keep you from it.  It does take time (4-6 weeks), though for a new dosage to take full effect.  

There could be something else causing your cycles to be off.  Since you've been to a fertility doctor, I'm assuming you've been tested for PCOS and other abnormalities that can cause cycles to be erratic.

[Barb135]

The first question has to be:  Is it possible you could be pregnant?   If so, that would be the first thing to look at.

The second question is:  When you say "to keep my levels between 0 and 2", I assume you're referring to TSH... is that the only thyroid related test that's being done?  What about Free T4 and Free T3?  Those are the actual thyroid hormones and are much more important than TSH, which is actually a pituitary hormone.

If you've had Free T4 and Free T3 tested, please post the results and their corresponding reference ranges, so we can see more clearly what's happening.  It's impossible to know, based only on TSH results.

What was your level before being put on the 50 mcg and what, if any, symptoms did you have?  

Have you been tested to see if you have the autoimmune condition, Hashimoto's?