More confused- help please.

[Bluedragon]

Hi, I received my private blood test results from Blue Horizons yesterday and the write up has made me more confused than ever! There are two dates/samples listed for each one as one kit was delayed in post so they sent out another. I can post the write up too if that would be useful? Where do I go from here? Many thanks for any help. FYI, I self inject B12 (for last 3 weeks every other day) and take B complex, D3 and K2. Am on HRT oestrogen only. Loads of symptoms but am especially very tired, especially going upstairs which is not shifting.

[Clutter]

Bluedragon, your symptoms are due to your low FT3 and high TSH. T3 is the active hormone and when it is low we experience hypothyroid symptoms. TSH rises to stimulate the thyroid gland to produce more T4 for conversion to T3 when low circulating hormone is detected. You have primary hypothyroidism and need to see your doctor for thyroid hormone replacement.

At the moment TPOab is below range which means you don't have autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto's) as a cause of your hypothyroidism. It may be worth retesting TPOab in a year. Thyroid hormone replacement may stop antibodies rising.

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/diagno...

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...

I'm not able to help with the other results and hope other members will be able to interpret them.

[Bluedragon in reply to Clutter]

Many thanks Clutter.

[Hidden]

Hello Blue Dragon,

I haven't used Blue Horizons before so am not familiar with results but using given ranges I would say:

All cortisol levels are well within range except sample 4, prior to sleep, which is very low range indicating you are probably exhausted in the evenings?

These results are good considering all health issues take their toll on our poor adrenal glands. You could choose to support in order to prevent any further decline. Dr P recommends everybody should support adrenals whether they have thyroid or other issues, as modern life is so stressful.

Support could be glandulars or adaptogens and both can be very powerful so use with caution.

The progesterone result is very low. Are you menopausal? Do you have symptoms? Maybe Serenity Cream by Wellsprings would be beneficial.

Clutter has already given good advise re thyroid hormones.

Hope this helps.

Flower007

[Bluedragon in reply to Hidden]

Thank you Flower 007,

I have all the symptoms of adrenal exhaustion. Funnily enough, I tend to get my second wind in the evening. I have a difficult marriage and a challenging adopted son (the other one is gradually getting easier now at uni). I was expecting to see different cortisol results. The write up said that they could be good because they're overworked. Also said Dhea low range. Oh so confusing. 😣😩 I wonder if my HRT isn't right level. My head hurts. Would go into menopause if not on. I'm 50. One ovary following hysterectomy at 26.

I've given the results into Dr surgery, it will be interesting to see if anything happens.

[1133]

Took a look at your labs - looks to me like you need to get off the estrogen HRT and take progesterone USP instead. No weaning. See if your doc will prescribe PROMETRIUM (as it's called here in the US - not sure what it is there - but it needs to be PROGESTERONE USP BIOIDENTICAL, and NOT "progestin.") Here in the US the only brand that fits that is Prometrium. Otherwise, you can try Progestelle - womhoo.com/ - I used that myself before going to Prometrium because I need such high dosages for myself. They should be able to ship the Progestelle to UK, though I'm not sure how much it costs to do that.

The other thing is that your results show that you are most definitely experiencing hypothyroidism. I'm thinking that the elevated estradiol is causing conversion problems. See: vrp.com/hormone-support/the... for a little more on that. Going off estrogen HRT and taking progesterone instead naturally helps the hypothyroid condition and may, in some cases, even be all that is needed for thyroid function to return to normal. I would start taking progesterone ASAP, every day - start with 80 mg day (transdermal) for 10 days, and then continue with 20 mg per day thereafter - for life. 20 mg progesterone is the body's physiological dose. If you are taking prescription Prometrium (oral dosage) then go with the 200 mg dosage and just take as directed - for me it's 1x per day. Have these levels monitored again in 6 months - a year, and also take note of how you are feeling. I'd give this 2 months and then check thyroid hormones again to see if you need to add any thyroid hormone to the mix.

I suggest also supplementing with plenty of vitamin E - up to 1000 IU per day, with vitamin A, vitamin C, D3, K2, and a good B complex, making sure that the B12 is METHYLcobalamin, rather than cyanocobalamin. You won't need to continue with the injections - but as long as you do, make sure you are taking a B complex (with ALL the Bs) so that you get the most out of your B12. You need them all.

I wouldn't even worry about getting FT3 levels tested until you have been off the estrogen and on progesterone USP for a couple of months. Won't hurt anything to have it tested so as to have a reference point to see how it does once you've gotten the other hormonal switch underway.