I have been tested for Hypo due to the following symptoms:
Extreme weight gain/inability to lose weight while exercising 5 x's a week (60 min cardio, 30 min strength training. I had twins over a year ago and lost weight after their birth initially, but gained so much in the months after. Cannot lose it with diet/exercise. I am a PE teacher and understand the logic of calories in calories out for losing weight. I am also a vegetarian.
Gall bladder removed
Hair is falling out
Brittle Nails
fatigue = not sure what is normal. Caring for twins in tiring.
Sensitivity to cold...I am comfortable on very hot days when others are not.
Extreme Depression - was prescribed Effexor which I believe contributed to weight gain. No longer taking.
Stray thick black hairs growing on chest and stomach
Developed a skin tag under arm
Night sweats
Pain on each side abdomen...could be c cest scar tissue? Only started hurting recently.
Had OB/Gyn run PCOS tests ultrasound/Hemoglobin Alc/FSH/LH/Total Testosterone - all came back normal.
H ALc- 5.0
FSH - 8.93
LH - 3.05
TT - 22
My LH seems low in comparison to FSH. I read that they are supposed to be similar.
I have an endo appointment in a couple of weeks. I am so sad about the weight issue. It's hard to teach kids about being fit looking the way I do.
Did anyone get diagnosed with similar results?
Thank you if you read this far!
Hi- have you has fasting insulin and glucose tested too? It's possible to have insulin resistance and still have a normal hba1c. An insulin level over 10 indicates some degree of insulin resistance and metformin could help to re-sensitise the tissues.
Yes, your LH is very low. Was this a day 3? I'm not sure what LH does in the presence of high prolactin levels- are you breastfeeding, by chance? Have you started your periods again? Please post your thyroid labs, or ask for them if you don't have them. Sometimes (often) "normal" is not normal. You may also want to ask about having a 24 hour salivary cortisol test. So you know, the average healthy person has a TSH between 1 and 1.5 and free T3/T4 in the upper third of lab range.
Thanks for responding. I only have my TSH numbers right now...my endo appointment isnt for another 2 weeks. She said she will run a bunch of other tests.
Thanks for responding. I only have my TSH numbers right now...my endo appointment isnt for another 2 weeks. She said she will run a bunch of other tests.
My TSH level is 2.39.
Thank you for writing back...I appreciate it.
I would definitely be suspicious about thyroid issues with that TSH. I was also told that my thyroid levels were normal. Sometimes you really have to be pushy to get them to listen to you. I see you had your gall bladder removed- do you have high cholesterol? I seem to remember hypothyroidism being implicated in gall bladder problems.
Please INSIST that your doctor run FT4 as well as FT3. They may try to tell you that you only need FT3 in cases of hyperthyroidism but I know for a fact that this is not the case, since my FT3 is much lower than my FT4.
The Following User Says Thank You to bee01 For This Useful Post: amj217 (04-21-2012)
I don't think my cholesterol is high....I found some older test results from 3 years ago. My TSH at that time was 1.58 and now it's at 2.39. I don;t know if it's normal for it to fluctuate from year to year.
I forgot to answer one of your previous questions...I'm not breastfeeding. I had originally gone to my OB becasue I thought I had PCOS, which I still might have? I thought for sure my ultrasound would show cysts seeing I did have them prior to having my twins.
I will have to pushy at the docs....it's so hard to be that way! But, I can't stand living like this anymore! Thanks again for your response! I will write down the tests you suggested to make sure she runs them. I want to be as knowledable as possible when I get in there...1) so i know what she is talking about and 2) so I know what to ask!
My ultrasound showed cysts as well, at least they thought they might be. It's hard to get a pcos diagnosis in the face of conflicting blood results. I find it hard to believe that the cysts would just disappear though, even after pregnancy??? I know my ovaries still have a polycystic appearance after having my son two years ago.
By any chance, did you have fertility treatments to conceive your twins? The increased levels of estrogen brought about by fertility treatments and also from pregnancy are thought to trigger hypothyroidism.
But to answer your questions, TSH doesn't mean much without the FT4/FT3 to go with it. For instance, when I was undergoing fertility treatments, upon my insistence the RE checked my TSH again (because I was suspicious of my 2.63 TSH) and it was 1.25. Since then, it has remained in the 2.5 range, so there is no way to know if my thyroid function was improved by progesterone use, if it was a fluke number, or if the free thyroid hormones were low too and the TSH threw him off.
Some tests I know of to confirm pcos (you can have some or all)
high prolactin level.
high total testosterone and Free Androgen Index (Testosterone divided by SHBG)
Low SHBG (sex hormone binding globulin)
High DHEAS
Large ovarian volume
High than normal Antral Follicle Count (supposed to be cysts)
High fasting insulin (insulin resistance, syndrome x)
High fasting glucose
Stubborn weight in the mid-section
Hirsutism (can be present in the face of normal testosterone levels)
Late ovulation, coupled with low mid-luteal progesterone, or anovulation with long, heavy cycles.
Low thyroid function
High follicular LH, a ratio of LH/FSH usually over 2.
FSH can sometimes be suppressed in pcos (I think possibly due to high estadiol levels, can't remember)
That's all I can remember right now. Will write again if I think of more.
Last edited by bee01; 04-21-2012 at 09:21 AM.
The Following User Says Thank You to bee01 For This Useful Post: amj217 (04-21-2012)
No fertility treatment...it just happened. Shock of my life...but a good one!
My biggest symptoms are
weight gain in the middle,
inability to lose weight even with exercise, strength training 90 min 5 x a week and healthy vegetarian eating,
hair falling out,
depression,
inability to focus or remember things (could just be a mom thing though)
sensitivity to cold...I am rarely hot.
I though it was odd that the cysts disappeared...especially since I have sharp pains on both sides of my abdomen. I've been told that it might be c-sect scar tissue. However, I never get these pains during my period only after or before. It seems odd. I was really hoping my OB would prescribe metaformin to see if t made a difference...maybe the Endo will...diabetes runs in my family heavily.
She did blood work...checking for antibodies and cortizone. In the meantime, she has me on 50 MCG for lexoxyl. My tsh was 2.39. I googled the warnings and it says it an be toxic if you have a normal functioning thyroid. I'm a bit afraid to take it since my levels fall in the "normal" category. (High end of the spectrum, but normal.) Anyone else take this with my TSH level? Thanks.
Did she check your FT3 and FT4 as well? You'll need those checked to determine if you are hypothyroid and to what extent. I would be very surprised if your levels came back good though. You'll also need them as reference for when you get tested again for your dosage increase.
What they mean by toxic is that if your thyroid is already pumping out a lot of hormone on its own (which I doubt it is), then you can start to become hyper. It's not uncommon to feel some hyper symptoms when starting thyroid med as your body adjusts.
I think you should take 25 mcg for a couple of weeks and work up to 50 mcg, as it may be a bit big for a starting dose? Either way, go for blood work again 6 weeks after you start 50 mcg because you will need a dose increase- again, not more than 25 mcg at a time is recommended by most of the people on this board.
You may also want to think about the glucose and insulin tolerance test if you suspect PCOS but it doesn't sound like you really fit the pcos description.
And yes, my TSH was right around where yours is. Usually between 2.3 and 2.9. Recently, after 6 weeks of synthroid, MY TSH was 3.3 but it has been as low as 1.25 after having a TSH of 2.7, so it seems to jump around. And my FT3 and FT4 were both right at the bottom of the range, so I am definitely hypothyroid.
I've read that Vitex can be good for raising LH, if you are concerned about getting pregnant again. Hope you can resolve this soon!
