Please help - Thyroid disease and Follicle stimulating hormone.

[Shaz]

I've been treated for bouts of Hashimotos/Graves (my endocrinologist cant define which!!) for 10 years now but since being declared euthyroid a few years ago I still experience symptoms - hair loss, hot flushes, tiredness, palpitations etc. My TSH is within range and I'm not on Thyroxine so my GP and hospital wont do any Free T3/4 tests. I therefore asked my GP for a hormone level test and my FSH is 105 IU/L (I don't know the range as it wasn't quoted on the result). They haven't done any other hormone tests such as oestrogen, nor did they warn me that it is important to know my menstrual cycle dates in order to clearly define the results as apparently the phase of my cycle can affect the result (useless!!), so it may well be a false positive. I know that thyroid disease can ?mimic? menopausal symptoms, but can anyone tell me whether it can actually bring about the menopause? I am 48 but have had these symptoms for years - since the thyroid disease kicked in.

Many thanks for your help.

Shaz

[Shaz]

Thank you for your reply, I'll have a look tomorrow. They have not done antibody tests

?too expensive! Could you just tell me what a positive antibody test would mean?

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

See page 32 of this link:

uhb.nhs.uk/pdf/laboratoryha...

Rod

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

As I understand:

Graves can be diagnosed by testing for TSH receptor antibodies (TRab).

There are three types of TRab - blocking, stimulating and "don't do a lot". The ones that matter for Graves are the stimulating ones - Thyroid Stimulating Immunoglobulin. Some tests cannot differentiate the three types. A test for TSI would identify Graves.

In the context of someone having Thyroid Peroxidase antibodies and/or Thyroblobulin antibodies, a simple "you are positive for TRab" does not clearly distinguish between Hashimoto's and Graves. Nor does elevated thyroid hormone, nor lowered TSH. Though some cases are very much more obvious than others.

Rod