Test results

[agonycat]

Maybe someone can help me out here.

I got my blood work tests back yesterday and the test showed my thyroid hormone was at 1.82.

Is this good or bad? I know the range is .40 to 5.50 s this seems to be on the low side.

Is this the reason I feel hot or cold flashes?

[doreen T]

hi a/c,

The TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) is an indirect, but generally accurate measure of thyroid function. TSH is produced in the pituitary gland ... and as the name implies, its job is to stimulate the thyroid gland to produce the thyroid hormones. If your body isn't getting enough thyroid hormone, the pituitary will secrete more TSH to nudge the thyroid gland into action. Thus a higher TSH level means low thyroid function. Conversely, a very low TSH suggests over-active thyroid.

There's some suggestion that for women, a TSH of 2 or lower is more desirable, and higher than that may be an indicator of low thyroid function, especially if there are hypothyroid symptoms such as low body temp, dry skin, thinning hair, slow pulse rate, fatigue, difficulty losing weight, high cholesterol etc.

Measuring the free T4 and T3 thyroid hormone levels along with the TSH will give a more accurate picture than just the TSH alone. If you have symptoms but the dr. won't prescribe treatment based on the "normal" TSH result, it would be worth having the other tests done.

Doreen

[shaz]

I finally got directed to the article that everyone has been talking about - you know the one where we are meant to do better at between TSH 1 - 2?

What the article actually says is that women without thyroid problems were found to have an average TSH of around 1.5.

That is why everyone is saying that to feel our best we should be at the lower levels of what is classed as normal.

I can now go and badger my doctor to get my levels down with higher medication.

I guess that if you are feeling good at the current level, you should let things ride for a while; if the weight starts dropping too quickly and you feel jumpy, then you might want to get your TSH levels raised.

You didn't mentioned whether you were being treated for hypothyroid or whether you have just been tested for the first time. If the latter, was your doctor happy with the results or were they making noises about you being hyperthyroid?

Anyway, if anyone wants to check out the article, the address is:
http://thyroid.about.com/library/news/blfeb02jcem.htm

Shaz