Help understanding results

[Hollyhughes]

Good morning All

I’m a member of the Sticky Blood - Hughes Syndrome Group and I’ve just had my thyroid test results back from medichecks that I’d love your help understanding:

TSH: 2.12 miU/L (range: 0.27 - 4.2 R)

Free T3: 5.23 pmol/L (range: 3.1 - 6.8 R)

FREE THYROXINE: 12.1 pmol/L (range: 12 - 22)

THYROGLOBULIN ANTIBODY is <10 (range: <115)

THYROID PEROXIDASE ANTIBODIES is <9 (range: <34)

Medichecks doc said all in range and fine but the free thyroxine is borderline. All others well within range so is a lower level of free thyroxine something to worry about on it’s own or only when combined with one of the other thyroid tests that come back out of Range?

My ferritin level is also borderline - 13.4 ug/L (range is 13-150) and my active b12 is 61.3 pmol/L (range is 37.5-188) so I feel like I should get this up to a higher level too.

I’ve got a GP appt tomorrow to discuss but would love any input, experience, advice on how to interpret these results and if I should raise anything specifically with my doctor or what to ask for further testing on.

Thank you x

[greygoose]

HI, welcome to the forum.

Difficult to interpret your results without knowing a bit more. Have you already been diagnosed with a thyroid condition? And are you taking any thyroid hormone replacement? If so, what and how much?

Interpreting blood tests results depends very much on those three things.

Your ferritin is low, but have you had your serum iron tested? And, before supplementing your B12, you should get your folate tested. How about your vit D?

[Hollyhughes in reply to greygoose]

Hiya, thank you for the welcome and apologies - I should have given you a bit more background. I havnt previously been diagnosed with a thyroid condition or been on any treatment. I've had 3 recurrent miscarriages in the last 18 months - the 3rd miscarriage was last month - this pregnancy was after a diagnosis of Antiphospholipid/Hughes Syndrome last May after the first two miscarriages and I was on treatment for it (heraprin and aspirin) but unfortunately I still lost the pregnancy at 8-9 weeks (same as the other two). I was advised to get my thyroid checked as one autoimmune issue can sometimes mean another underlying one. So I took the medichecks thyroid and ultra vit test as it had been recommended and apparently gives a more detailed view of thyroid status.

I've not had serum iron tested - is this important? I have an appt with my GP Tomorrow - should I request it?

My serum folate is >19.8 - the range is > 3.89 R so seems to be quite good? My vit D is 93.6 nmol/L, the range is 50 - 175 - so could do with improving this along with my B12?

I'm 38 years old and have had one successful and normal pregnancy with my son who is now 4.

Thank you x

[greygoose in reply to Hollyhughes]

Your vit D is fine, at the moment, but keep an eye on it.

Your ferritin is not borderline, it is extremely low, and must be making you feel terrible! It should be at least mid-range. But, it would be good to know what your serum iron is before attempting to supplement. In fact, with a ferritin that low, your doctor should be doing a full iron panel to find out why.

Your B12 is low enough to need supplementing if you have any deficiency symptoms. But, before supplementing it's as well to know what the folate is like, as they both work together. Yours is good.

Are you taking any supplements at the moment?

Your thyroid labs are strange. Your TSH says your thyroid is struggling. Your FT4 says hypo - very low. But your FT3 is amazingly good. One would expect them to be down low with the FT4. So, I'm wondering if you've ever had your iodine tested. I don't know how much you know about thyroid, so don't know how much detail to go into.

But your antibodies are low. Unfortunately, that doesn't prove anything because Hashi's antibodies fluctuate. Also, you don't always need high antibodies to have Hashi's - if they're high, then you have it, if they're low doesn't mean anything. Complicated. But, it does mean that you need to at least do a couple more tests, just to see if they rise at all.

[Hollyhughes in reply to greygoose]

My whole body just seems to be totally out of whack at the moment - I just had day 3 fertility tests come back too and my FSH level is 18 (range is <12!) and my 17-BETA OESTRADIOL which is another hormone came back at 90.9, range is 45-855 - so pretty low.

Weirdly, considering my v low iron levels and hormones seemingly all over the place I feel ok, dont get me wrong - I'm tired and headachy fairly frequently but not the kind of tired you'd expect and dont feel awful all the time.

I'm on a ton of supps - a Zita West multi vit, omega 3, ubiquinol, biokult probiotic, a separate folic acid supp, a separate vit d supp and now x 2 spatone sachets a day for the iron issue.

I've never had iodine tested - what would that indicate? I dont really know that much about thyroid at all so any help/guidance would be amazing.

Thank you for all your help - i'll definitely be asking for a full iron panel tomorrow and looking at B12 supplementation. Should I ask the doc for further thyroid testing based on these results? These were from 2 weeks ago - can results fluctuate a lot week to week?

Thank you

[greygoose in reply to Hollyhughes]

I was wondering about the iodine because of the low FT4 but highish FT3. I'm sure you know that T4 is a storage hormone, and T3 the active hormone. The thyroid makes mostly T4, but some T3, and the rest of the T3 comes from conversion of T4 as and when the body needs it.

T4 has four atoms of iodine and T3 has three atoms of iodine. Conversion is achieved by removing one atom of iodine from the T4.

If one is low in iodine, the thyroid will sometimes make more T3 than T4 to save on iodine. It's pretty rare to be iodine deficient in the UK, but it can happen, so best to cover all bases and test the iodine. Do not take any without getting tested first.

Although, of course, your multi-vit probably contains iodine, doesn't it? They usually do. It really is not a good idea to take a multi-vit for several reasons:

* If your multi contains iron, it will block the absorption of all the vitamins - you won't absorb a single one! Iron should be taken at least two hours away from any other supplement except vit C, which is necessary to aid absorption of iron, and protect the stomach.

* If your multi also contains calcium, the iron and calcium will bind together and you won't be able to absorb either of them.

* Multi's often contain things you shouldn't take or don't need : calcium, iodine, copper. These things should be tested before supplementing.

* Multi's often contain the cheapest, least absorbable form of the supplement : magnesium oxide, instead of magnesium citrate or one of the other good forms; cyanocobalamin instead of methylcobalamin; folic acid instead of methylfolate; etc. etc. etc.

* Multi's do not contain enough of anything to help a true deficiency, even if you could absorb them.

With a multivitamin, you are just throwing your money down the drain, at best, and doing actual harm at worst. Far better to get tested for vit D, vit B12, folate and ferritin, and build up your supplementation program based on the results.

Just googled your multi and the ingredients are not good. And, it does contain iron and iodine. So, I really would not recommend it at all.

Plus it contains biotin. Did you know that biotine can skew blood test results? Ideally, it should be stopped a week before the test. So, it could be that that FT3 is not correct.

[Hollyhughes in reply to greygoose]

Jeez! You just told me a whole load of stuff I didnt know! I had heard that some multi-vits were a waste of time but thought as Zita West is a leading fertility expert that her supps would be at a better standard. Had no idea that if iron was in a supp it would block absorption! Thank you - I will come off them straight away and get re-tested in a couple of weeks. x

[greygoose in reply to Hollyhughes]

Just goes to show, you can't trust anybody!