Osteoporosis TSH: Age 47 2016 ovaries removed... - Thyroid UK

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Osteoporosis TSH

Vxxxx profile image
14 Replies

Age 47 2016 ovaries removed. Surgical menopause

Not given HRT but after 3 months lost 3 cm stature and developed kyphosis on spine

Started HRT because of loss of stature and kyphosis

A year after oophorectomy started NDT DX hashimoto's and hypothyroidism

T3 and T4 always in range TSH always suppressed

Despite HRT , weight bearing exercise, bits, K2, magnesium I continue to lose BMD

first dexa after lost 3 cm stature post oophorectomy sept 2016, recent 2019 dexa shows 13 percent loss in BMD from this one, osteopenia in spine

I am 50 now

I am being offered zoledronic acid IV

not sure what to do

I'm aware of the pros cons biophophonates. This seems balanced article

kevinmd.com/blog/2016/10/st...

Any advice

Also how to rebut medical suggestion it's caused by my suppressed TSH

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14 Replies
greygoose profile image
greygoose

Well, surely, your osteoporosis started before your TSH became suppressed, didn't it? So how can the suppressed TSH be to blame?

Vxxxx profile image
Vxxxx in reply to greygoose

Well it's accelerating rate of loss.

Vxxxx profile image
Vxxxx in reply to Vxxxx

Just find it upsetting. Feel helpless. Tried vit d, K2, magnesium, walking 10 miles a day and still it's pouring out of me like through a sieve. Or so it feels

Vxxxx profile image
Vxxxx in reply to Vxxxx

Been doing all of this since oophorectomy

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply to Vxxxx

Well, the oophorectomy had nothing to do with your suppressed TSH, so perhaps your sex hormones are low. It's far more likely to be low sex/thyroid hormones causing it than suppressed TSH. Have you tried pointing that out to doctors? Never mind that it's accelerating. If the TSH didn't have anything to do with it in the beginning, it won't have anything to do with it now, that's not logical at all. Of course, I do know that doctors are not logical beings, far from it. But, occasionally, we have to put our foot down, and say look, think this through logically. :)

m7-cola profile image
m7-cola

So sorry to hear your story. You are obviously working hard to get well. I agree with GG that TSH is unlikely to be the culprit. As to weighing up whether to take bisphosponates or not... the article you quote seems persuasive. However I took them for 10 years without noticeable improvement. I now prefer to manage my bone health via diet and (not too much) exercise. And I have ceased having Dexa scans. And you can check out my thyroid regimen by clicking on the icon.

Vxxxx profile image
Vxxxx in reply to m7-cola

Thanks for your reply. With all these things it's hard to know isn't it whether the drugs help because we don't know how we would be without them perhaps worse perhaps no different perhaps better. Although I'm losing stacks of bmd I know that I lost a huge amount in the weeks between the oophorectomy and my first Dxa, 3 months, as I lost stature and developed a kyphosis So if a DEXA had been done before the surgery then the graph might look more hopeful and it might actually be tailing off post HRT despite the loss still being high perhaps it would be higher without the HRT.

Did your rate of loss of bmd slow on the biophophonates? Did you take them orally or IV? Did you suffer any adverse effects?

m7-cola profile image
m7-cola in reply to Vxxxx

I took orally. The ‘rate’ of loss is difficult to assess as there were different machines used. I also lost confidence that the measurements meant anything.

I took them for more than 10 years. I became concerned about the side effects and the rather casual way the medics promoted their use.

Vxxxx profile image
Vxxxx in reply to m7-cola

Yes agree with the casual approach. I've done my own due diligence. Given the rate that I'm losing it, my age and where I'm heading I've given it a great deal.if consideration. I've had 4 scans over 3 years, same machine and same man operating it.

My back is already.a wonky shape that followed within weeks of oophorectomy. I had hoped the bone loss it would taper off

Nanaedake profile image
Nanaedake

I presume you have the results of parathyroid function and calcium?

Vxxxx profile image
Vxxxx

Calcium fine.

Can you explain re the parathyroid please

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

You say FT3 and FT4 are within range......can you add actual results and ranges

For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 plus both TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested. Also extremely important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12

Low vitamin levels are extremely common, especially if Thyroid antibodies are raised

Have you had thyroid antibodies tested?

Recommended on here that all thyroid blood tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and fasting. This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip, best not mentioned to GP or phlebotomist)

Last Levothyroxine dose should be 24 hours prior to test, (taking delayed dose immediately after blood draw).

If this how you do your tests?

Low FT3 can be linked to osteoporosis

How much Levothyroxine do you currently take?

Do you always have same brand of Levothyroxine?

Low vitamin D is strongly linked to osteoporosis.

Have you had vitamin D tested?

What was most recent result?

Exactly what supplements of vitamin D, magnesium and vitamin K2 Mk7 do you take?

betterbones.com/bone-nutrit...

articles.mercola.com/sites/...

healthy-holistic-living.com...

sciencedaily.com/releases/2...

articles.mercola.com/sites/...

betterbones.com/bone-nutrit...

This article explains should discuss with specialists before taking any vitamin K if you take any blood thinning medication

drsinatra.com/vitamin-k2-su...

Vitamin D research and Hashimoto's

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

easy-immune-health.com/magn...

naturalnews.com/038286_magn...

I have no thyroid and a very low TSH 0.005 but have recently had a dexa scan and an ECG. My bones are good and I am 72 years old.

I don't believe that a suppressed TSH causes this it might be something else.

humanbean profile image
humanbean

Also how to rebut medical suggestion it's caused by my suppressed TSH

These are links I've bookmarked to threads I thought were useful on the subject of bone health and osteoporosis - and there are links to useful research within the various threads.

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

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