Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => All things menopause => Topic started by: Vicky81 on May 26, 2022, 11:53:55 AM
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Hi All,
Just wanted your opinions please?
Just had my latest female hormone blood results from Medichecks 24th may.
Thyroid -
TSH - 1.16
Free Thyroxine - 11.8 (told this was in low range and could indicate underactive thyroid?) and this has been declining each time i have had my blood tests done since April.
Symptoms i am having is anxiety, feeling the cold more, very brittle nails, extreme fatigue, mood swings, depression no interest in anything at all.
Oestrogen -325. This is a HUGE drop since 5th May which was 623.
I started 100mg patches 19th April for 6 days, then went up and down so much for a couple weeks, been on the 50mg patch for 7 days now.
Any thoughts? Advice? Do i need Levothyroxine? xxxx
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When i say i went up and down, i meant to say that i upped the patch, then down, then up etc....stupidly!! Now on50mg
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I've no advice Vicky, but that is just below the normal range that my private clinic gave me. Mine is 14.
Hopefully someone knowledgeable will come along x
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Thanks Crispy xx
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Hi did you get the acceptable ranges on your blood test results ? x
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Hi yes i did . And the free thyroxine was low at 11.8
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You need to speak to a doctor to get advice. x
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Hi Vicky81,
Sorry to jump on your post, I just wondered if you could advise me re thyroid test.
Do you find Medicheck to be good? Been suggested to me my thyroid might not be working as it should but thinking of getting private test as my dr will only do TSH I believe. I too struggle to keep warm, especially my feet, have quite brittle nails and feel exhausted much of the time, plus I have anxiety and little interest in most things. I’ve just started HRT, and initially it seemed to be helping, but then I had to change brand due to shortages and now I feel rubbish again? Hoping you have managed to get some help/answers from your GP and you feel better.
Many thanks
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Mine is exactly same 11.8 and 0.87 told satisfactory by Gp
Has your hair gone thin on top and you get breathless?
My ferritin 39 and cortisol 328 which dr said normal but test say I should have a synacthen test ?
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Hi gecko- yes medichecks are really good and get results back so quickly via email. My consultant explained it all to me yesterday in that to have an under active thyroid, the TSH must be showing above 4. Which mine isn't so they told me not to worry. I hope you start to feel better soon.
Donna- wow exactly the same eh! As above I don't think its anything to worry about...but I'm going to get checked regularly non the less.
No my hair seems to be ok, I guess a little thin, and no don't get breathless hun. Let me know how you get on xxx
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Hi Vicky81,
I’m hypothyroid and can tell you that to get a diagnosis you really need to know what your T3 levels are not just your T4. T4 is a storage hormone (looks like it’s expressed as free thyroxine in your test results). TSH is also pretty meaningless. T3 is the active hormone and the one we are most concerned about as hypothyroid patients. Most GPS know nothing about treating the thyroid and anything above 4 for your TSH to be declared hypothyroid I’m afraid is utterly useless. I wouldn’t be able to get out of bed if my levels were 4. They were higher than 4 when I first diagnosed but by then I was totally chronic and it doesn’t mean you don’t need thyroxine replacement to feel well. I hope you aren’t hypothyroid as it’s another complication to manage alongside HRT but important to get a proper diagnosis.
I strongly recommend you post your full test results with reference ranges on thyroid UKs website. The administrators on there are extremely helpful and will be advise you in relation to your results and what you might look at doing next. Make sure you post all results along with reference ranges for your thyroid test. If you didn’t get the test that includes T3, (the Advanced Thyroid Function Test will have everything you need) I can tell you now that the first thing they will tell you to do is to have that Medichecks test before 9am on an empty stomach. If your worried about your thyroid please go to that forum for more help. Thyroid UK have a discount code you can use too for this test so we’ll worth a visit. The forum is part of Health Unlocked, let me know if you have any issues finding it but should be able to Google it I hope fairly easily.
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Blue- wow thank you so very much ! I will deffo do this!
Ok so I have my results here-
4th May,- free T3- 5.08 range(3.1 - 6.8)
24th May
Free T3- 4.61 range as above.
Any ideas?? Xxx
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Ok, so you can convert T4 to T3 naturally, this is a big positive relief (some people can’t) but your conversion to T3 levels has declined looking at your latest results. It needs to be in the upper range to feel well. It could be your body is no longer producing enough T4 naturally to be able to convert enough T3. Post your results on the forum and see what advice you get back, they will be able to give you more insight by reviewing all the results together from each test (e.g. your TSH, free T4, free T3 etc) from the same test.
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Awww great il do this now xxx
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OK, great - the good news is your aren’t chronic if at all hypothyroid at the moment. You may get comments back but wait for an administrator to respond before you close the chapter off. Good luck!
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Hey blue I've just done it...on the forum but is that right?, I went to thyroid yesterday health unlocked. My user name is vicky 567
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Yes, I’ve seen you’ve had some sound advice from 2 different administrators whose opinions are highly valuable. You can either keep testing say every 6 months to keep an eye on your levels or see a recommended endo. What HRT are you taking?
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I think I'd rather seen an endo.
I'm on everol patches x
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OK, that should give you a nice consistent flow of oestrogen which is good for the thyroid. What progesterone regime are you one?
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Provera. I had no issues with this whatsoever. I couldn't take utrogestan! Was awful withdrawal.
So,, and this may sound so stupid....if the endo does say I've got under active thyroid....would he be the one to give me the medication? As I really don't want to be fighting for it from the gp! Xx
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Hello ladies.
Vicky81 I am sorry that you are still having problems, especially as you think you may have thyroid issues as well.
I will be interested to see if you get a referral to an Endocrinologist from your GP, if you can find an endo privately that would be amazing!
I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Hypothyroidism a few years ago and have never been offered an Endo appointment as I was told that this condition is managed by GPs . My request for a T3 test was declined as it was considered unnecessary. Good luck with your enquiries.
Take care.
K.
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Yes, the endo will give you the medication or write to your GP instructing them what you need prescribed. If you just need more T4, they will prescribe Levothyroxine and there should be no issues getting this via your GP. If you need T3 also, you would probably need to pay for this privately but one stage at a time, you might not need any thyroid medication at all….
Kathleen, I’d get the Advanced Thyroid Test done via Medichecks if you can and then post your results on Health Unlocked for feedback. Medichecks have 20% off at the moment until the end of this month. I have Hashimotos too.
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Kathleen I agree with blue. Medicare fav! So quick and the doctor writes his notes on the form as to what he thinks and explains it all.
Blue- that's good then. I've emailed the thyroid site for endo,s near me. Il pay private if need be as need the answers. Haven't been out socially since August so its about time all this was settled!
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Kathleen, the GP has no right really to refuse you a referral to see an endo if you are still having hypo symptoms. This is a reflection of their lack of training in this area and to be honest they don’t train GPs very much about treating the thyroid full stop. Often you need to go back to the GP armed with your own test results and supporting info to get a change in medication, referral etc.