Thyroid and Menopause?

[Helene1971]

Hi I'm new, can a menopause result be mistaken for a thyroid problem?

[shaws Administrator]

If you are having problems with menstrual cycle - probably not. Many have difficulties getting diagnosed as hypo with clear clinical symptoms. I'll give a list of clinical symptoms:

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

btf-thyroid.org/information...

[startagaingirl]

Hi - I am not quite sure what you mean by a "menopause result". Could you explain please? If you are referring to an antibody result given in your earlier post - assuming it is a thyroid peroxidase antibody since you didn't say what it was - then no that is a measure that indicates thyroid problems.

However, some symptoms of menopause and underactive thyroid can be easily confused.

So you are really going to have to give us a bit more to go on if you want advice.

Gillian

[Helene1971 in reply to startagaingirl]

Hi I was told at the age of 24 that I was in the change and now I'm thinking that I wasn't and I have had a thyroid problem all these years and due to been told I was going through menopause I had a hysterectomy.

[startagaingirl in reply to Helene1971]

Well presumably that information that you were in premature menopause wasn't based on just a few symptoms, but rather on a comprehensive set of blood results. As Greygoose has said, those are very different tests from the thyroid ones. Also I have never heard of someone having a hysterectomy just because of menopause - that is major surgery that is not usually taken lightly. I can't imagine that any surgeon would undertake it without full investigation and some more major reason.

Gillian

[Helene1971 in reply to startagaingirl]

You wouldn't believe the amount of tests I have gone through but the confusing things is I don't and never have felt ill like people have posted, so my thinking was as hormones play a big part in your thyroid could this be why my results are showing high I just don't get it?

[startagaingirl in reply to Helene1971]

It is possible that you are in the very early stages and there hasn't been any major decrease in thyroid function yet. Just to clarify - the result you gave earlier of "antibody...1493" is that thyroid peroxidase - TpoAb - or something else?

If it is that, then that shows that your immune system is attacking your thyroid by mistake and killing off cells. This can happen for a while before you become symptomatic. You haven't given us much to go on - do you have results for tsh, ft4, ft3, antibodies, vit d, vit b12, folate and ferritin? Have you been put on any thyroid meds?

We would really need at least some of these before we can advise.

Gillian

[Helene1971 in reply to startagaingirl]

To be totally honest I'm not too sure which antibody test he did just that when I had my routine blood test the TSH came back at 9.7 and the other T3 T4 was fine, then I had the antibody bloods at that's when he told be he was transferring me to hospital as they were high, but I don't feel ill and never have this is what I can't understand when I read other people's posts on how poorly they are.

[startagaingirl in reply to Helene1971]

And there is a big missing piece of the puzzle. The fact that your tsh is at that level, even without the range, (note for future always give ranges as well), says that you are definitely hypo. A high tsh says that your brain is having to shout very loudly at your thyroid to work harder. If your body is still managing to push out enough thyroid hormone, if as you say t4 and t3 actually were "fine", explains why you wouldn't as yet be feeling hypo symptoms. Your thyroid cannot continue to work that hard for long, sooner or later you will feel symptoms.

You are actually in a relatively fortunate position of having this issue picked up before you experience major symptoms. That doesn't often happen, certainly in UK where most members are from. With early treatment you may not feel many symptoms, but you do still need to learn about Hashimotos, how to slow it down, what way treatments work and how to counter the almost inevitable nutritional deficiencies. A good place to start is our parent website thyroiduk.org.

Good luck

Gillian

[greygoose]

What do you mean by 'a menopause result'? Are you talking about a blood test? If you want your thyroid tested, then you have to do the thyroid test : TSH, FT4, FT3. I can't remember what tests are done for menopause, but they are entirely different.

If you are talking about the way you feel, your symptoms, then I don't really think so. Depends. What are your symptoms?

[Helene1971 in reply to greygoose]

Hi this is another thing antibody thyroid test came back as 1493 so now testing me for Hasimotos but after reading other people's messages I have never felt poorly or any symptoms as others have suffered, I feel exactly the same as I did before i had one of these over 40 medicals so I don't get it.

[Jazzw]

Shorter answer - yes, women of a certain age have many conditions blamed on menopause when it could be something else, and often it can be hypothyroidism instead.

If your doctor hasn't done full thyroid function testing it would be worth suggesting it.

[Rush2112]

MENOPAUSE my dr favourite word