Has anyone experienced a drastically shortened cycle on thyroid medication or NDT?

[cath1983]

This is what I have and I'm trying to understand the reason and whether it's temporary and the cycle will bounce back. On Levothyroxine, for instance, my cycle went from 28 to 21 days in 3 months (then I stopped and do not know if it would've become even shorter). It was similar on natural dessicated thyroid. Since I'm planning a pregancy, this is very important. Thank you!

[silverfox7]

Can you post your actual results and ranges. It sounds as though your dose isn't right

[cath1983 in reply to silverfox7]

Thanks for the reply! I'm not taking anything right now, I just have this experience in the past, including a few months ago, and I wasn't comfortable with it. It's true that both times I was just on the starting dose so maybe had I been able to raise the dose, it would've settled.

[silverfox7]

Bit confused here but thank you for replying. Am I right in thinking you have now stopped Thyroid medication all together? If that is the case why?

You say you were unable to increase the dose, did you try and your body wasn't happy or has your doctor stopped your medication and if so what was his reasoning.

[cath1983 in reply to silverfox7]

Yes, exactly, I developed insomnia in both cases even at the minimal doses and raising them did not help, so I must have one or a few of the typical problems with cortisol, iron, etc.

[silverfox7]

Just read your earlier posts and I think that may be you are trying to do too much at once. Taking NDT is a personal thing but it's not always easy to start off with. Levo is a lot easier to manage to start off with plus it's the only thing where you can see if you are converting properly and that is were a lot of us have problems. If converting will then FT4 and FT3 would most likely be in the top third of their respective ranges. If FT4 is high or even over range and FT3 low then we have a conversation problem. This can be helped by testing Vit D, B12, folate and ferritin but they must be optimal, not just in range. They help yourcthyroid to work. Eternity and can help with conversion issues and help lessen or even correct other symptoms. So I think making sure that you can convert is so important. You can add in T3 but sometimes your body won't accept that when levels are low so you can be stuck. Once on any form of T3 resultsare read differently, FT4 reading can fall and isn't accurate so you can't compare T4 with T3. You may well have sound reasons for wanting to take NDT but many are perfectly fine on it and quite a few who are struggling with it so post of here often aren't on the correct dose or aren't converting well. If you have been tested and told you need Thyroid medication then you can't then stop it, you may quickly go down hill. Plus with trying for a baby you need your body to be in tip top condition. Thyroid medications can upset period but once on the correct medication they should settle down and as you had just started on NDT you possibly were not at the best dose for you. It can take time to get everything in place and your body working properly but we need patience as well because of that.

[cath1983 in reply to silverfox7]

I'm aware of all that, I follow STTM and know quite a bit about thyroid medication/hormones but of course we all have personal issues that may be not so easy to resolve. I had my RT3 tested when I was not on any thyroid medication (but did have a low-cortisol pattern) and it was high (while both FT4 and FT3 were at the bottom of the range). I'm optimising my folate and ferritin now (everything else is optimal) as well as cortisol which was shot again by the T3 and NDT trials, healing my gut and then will probably go back to NDT.

I've read your subsequent message: I will post the results once I feel ready to resume and thanks for your help!

[silverfox7]

Cath you were busy writing when I was so just read your replies. Think it will help getting answers if you post any results you have over the past few months and then we are better placed to help. It's a complicated thing at the best of times and we can all react differently as well.

[confused_michelle]

Hi, my cycle shortened to around 21 days from 28 prior to being diagnosed. I’m now on 75mg of Levo and my cycle is now back to 28 days mostly but isn’t consistent. I’m waiting for test results but suspect I need a dose increase. I’m also trying for a baby so understand your concern with cycle length.

[cath1983 in reply to confused_michelle]

Thanks for your reply! That's the thing: I'm concerned by my paradoxical pattern - the cycle shortened on the medication while before it was ok. Oh well, I guess I just have to hope it will resolve on its own on the appropriate dose.

[silverfox7]

Fingers crossed for both of you.

[Milady]

This happened to me when I was overmedicated, and the tests confirmed that (just on thyroxin) and they lowered my dose.