Test results after miscarriage

[Kathryn1984]

I’ve maid some quick notes on my results from what I’ve read before about thyroid levels for a healthy pregnancy. I’ve had some vitamin levels checked as well, can anyone tell me if there’s anything out?

[ShinyB]

Hi Kathryn, I'm no expert but the things I'd comment on are that your ferritin level needs to be 70+ for good conversion of T4 (storage hormone) to T3 (active hormone). If you divide your FT4 by your FT3, it's 4.82 and, from memory, I think it could do with being 3. Hopefully someone else will comment on this and correct me if I'm wrong. With your FT4 being that high in the range, I would expect your FT3 to be higher, so it may be that your body is converting some of the FT4 in to reverse T3. Your Vit D level could do with being higher - around 100 I believe is good.

As an aside, you might want to remove your mobile number off the picture as this is a public forum.

So sorry to read in another post of yours about your miscarriage. I know how heartbreaking baby loss is, and about the all consuming search for answers.

Are you already taking any thyroid hormones?

[Kathryn1984 in reply to ShinyB]

I’ve removed my telephone, didn’t realise.

I’m taking 100 Levothyroxine.

I’m taking 400 folic acid

And a multi vitamin

I phoned my GP today but I have been fobbed off. He said everything is normal.

So I don’t know where to turn now. People telling me it’s not normal, and my GP saying it is. The GP refused an increase in dose.

[Saya85 in reply to Kathryn1984]

The GP is going by the ‘normal’ range of tsh below 4. So yes it’s ‘normal’ in a way he isn’t wrong but they go by just the numbers. You have to be cautious in how much you push doctors or they will label you hypochondriac.

The therapeutic range for most hypos tends to be 1 or below, but for ivf it should be below 2.5 so you’re pretty much there already. Btw 2.5 is according to NICE guidelines for fertility recommendations not just ‘off the internet’ so your GP shouldn’t discount that. But like

I said you’re pretty much there.

I’ve detailed my Full answer below - hope that helps x

[ShinyB in reply to Kathryn1984]

To be frank with you, I've given up trying to get thyroid advice via my GP or endo, as I find I get far more information from this forum. I suffer with depression, as well as low energy and brain fog, and it's just easier to focus my attention on finding out what I can here.

As far as your GP is concerned, all your lab results are in the 'normal' range and that's about as far as they'll look.

I'd suggest reading up what you can and becoming your own specialist.

Certainly, it might help to supplement Vit D to get your level up to 100. And iron to increase your ferritin to 70+,as both of these should help with converting T4 in your levothyroxine to T3, which is the active hormone.

I'm not an expert and am still learning myself, but I would tend to think that you wouldn't want to increase your levo further as you're already high in range. You might find that increasing your Vit D and ferritin will improve your conversion enough, so I think that's your first priority. I think selenium is also useful to supplement to help with conversion. If you get these improved and are still feeling rubbish, you could think about supplementing some T3 (many on here self source and self medicate, so you'll get lots of advice/support). Or, you could try NDT which is Natural Dessicated Thyroid - this contains T4 and T3 and is made from bovine or porcine thyroid glands. Many report feeling much better on this than on levothyroxine.

Not that this will make you feel any better, but it is extremely common to miscarry, and it may not be to do with your thyroid function. But I totally get the needing to find out why, and do everything you can to improve things.

I really am sorry about your baby. My little one would have been 15 next week and I still think about him.

[Kvelvetrose]

Hi Kathryn

Everything is within a normal range to me, but I don't know for pregnancy as I'm a nurse not a midwife.

But this is a good thing, and if the doctors are happy too then you can relax and heal and then try again xxx

Best of luck

[Saya85]

Hi Kathryn

Don’t despair! That’s great you have all your results. and they actually Look quite good.

Just to clarify;

1) Your tsh should be below 2.5 for ivf.

For hypothyroids- we generally feel better if our tsh is below 1.0 but if you are not symptomatic you may not need to increase your dose.

Your free t4 is actually good and in range (top third) - again for fertility that is good as the baby actually uses your t4, not your t3. Plus your thyroxine dose will automatically be increased once you’re pregnant.

(you might not feel great yourself with low t3, but again I wouldn’t say your t3 is low. It’s quite good (could be higher but again you’re not symptomatic).

2) Definitely agree with shinyB. Your ferritin is low- 70+ Is best. You can supplement with ferrous sulphate or iron yourself. Don’t need Gp. Once you’re pregnant they will do all these tests again so you’ll know where you’re at.

Vit D is not ‘adequate’ it just means it’s not technically insufficient/deficient. You def want to up that to 100.

I would suggest a daily dose of 3000iu per day for two weeks and then 1000iu maintenance dose thereafter.

If you get these two in better range you may find tour thyroid improves further and your depression should lift too- as vit D is known to be linked with depression /winter blues etc it’s the ‘sunshine’ Hormone. You do want to take magnesium and vit k2mk7 with it. (I use the better you red bottle vit D and k2mk7 together. Supplementing magnesium separately.

You don’t need b12 with that range. It’s quite good. If you feel symptoms you could take a good B complex vitamin - but be careful as it contains folic acid(vit b9) too so don’t double dose on folic acid !

>> So in conclusion- I would continue with your thyroxine, and just supplement with iron, magnesium, vitk2 and vit D. (And poss B complex- but stop folic acid then if the b complex contains it already at 400ug)

[Saya85 in reply to Saya85]

One more thing-

Regarding your miscarriage - we’ve spoken before many times too and I know how heartbreaking it must be, but as I said when we first talked- Pls don’t let everything overwhelm you. You could look for answers to every possible test and it may not turn up anything. I’ve seen on some of your posts that you’re looking into clotting factors and antibodies etc - that’s great that you’ve had them tested. If it shows something then it may help to be treated during pregnancy.

However most of these things PREVENT pregnancy from even happening - esp nk killer cells etc

The fact that you got pregnant shows most likely you don’t have a serious issue with these... so take heart in that you got pregnant to begin with ☺️

Thyroid, Nutrition, vitamins will all be needed to support a pregnancy but 1 in 4 women I believe have a miscarriage, and that’s even without health issues!

Again take heart that you’re not symptomatic and your thyroid and vit levels are generally good. Can def be tweaked and I would say you’re definitely set to go for your next treatment plan when you’re ready xx

[Kathryn1984]

Thank you all. I don’t think I can go to my GP again, because he didn’t seem happy about me questioning the results. I think I will have to go to another GP practice, as I don’t feel comfortable going to him anymore. Im going to try the vitamin supplements advice. But I’m completely fed up with it all. I never realised that thyroid health was so complicated and that doctors don’t seem interested in helping. I used to take my GPs advice as gospel, but I don’t trust any of them anymore. I’m just completely fed up of fighting now. I’ve been made to feel like a nuisance.

[Saya85 in reply to Kathryn1984]

Yep... welcome to the world of hypos.

I’m somewhat medically trained and have a family of medics around me and I still used to depend mostly on GPS advice and ‘normal’

I don’t anymore. I take what I can from Gp and push when I need to- but then I also tested privately on medichecks so I can keep an eye on my own results and supplement accordingly. If I hadn’t I wouldn’t have known my tsh had shot up just before ivf, even though it was 0.02 before we started!

Try asking to see a diff Gp at the same practice? That might help.

But so far your results regarding thyroid are basically controlled now so at least that parts over ☺️ Vitamins you can supplement yourself.

I used medichecks online blood test kits (thousands of us on here do) was a bit apprehensive but it’s just a finger prick test. If you order on Thursdays you get discounts. For £40/50 you get all the results you need and peace of mind within couple days

Try to give yourself a well deserved break now ☺️ There is light st the end of the tunnel

[ShinyB in reply to Kathryn1984]

I hear you!