Thriva Tests Help Anyone?

[Pols13]

Can anyone throw any light on my tests I am

completely new to all this, my bloods at the NHS were low so I was recommended to get some private ones done they seem just in range but WHY do I feel so bad?

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Hi Pols13

We can only see one result and as it's Total T4 it's not useful. The best way to see Thriva results is to go to the pdf and post the image here. That will show every test done plus their reference ranges.

Here is how to download the pdf of your results:

intercom.help/thrivahelpcen...

PS. Please confirm that you did the test as we advise, ie

* No later than 9am

* Nothing to eat or drink except water before the test#

* Last dose of Levo 24 hours before the test and/or last dose of T3 or NDT 8-12 hours before the test after splitting the dose the day before into 2 or 3

* Leave off any supplement containing biotin for 3-7 days before the test, eg B Complex.

Also, please tell us what thyroid meds, any other meds and supplements that you are taking.

[Pols13 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Am not on any medication and did before 9am no food or drink before!

Test results

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Pols13]

Pols13

Ferritin: 34 (13-150)

This is a very poor result. Ferritin below 30 is classed as iron deficiency by NICE. You are only just above that so it may be worth asking your GP to do his own test (most GPs wont accept private results, if yours does then great!). I would ask for an iron panel to include serum iron, transferrin saturation percentage, total iron binding capacity plus ferritin. The serum iron and saturation percentage will show if there is any iron deficiency. Also it would be a good idea to have a full blood count as this would show if there is any anaemia. You can have iron deficiency with or without anaemia.

Don't consider taking an iron supplement unless you do an iron panel, if you already have a decent level of serum iron and a good saturation percentage then taking iron tablets can push your iron level even higher, too much iron is as bad as too little.

Active B12: 70 (37.5-188)

This is just about OK. Lower than 70 suggests testing for B12 deficiency. We always suggest aiming for a level of 100 plus so supplementing may be a good idea.

Folate: 8.4 (8.83-60.8)

I believe the unit of measurement for Thriva folate tests is nmol/L in which case, as you can see, yours is below range and possibly suggestive of folate deficiency. See:

cks.nice.org.uk/anaemia-b12...

Folate level

◦Serum folate of less than 7 nanomol/L (3 micrograms/L) is used as a guide to indicate folate deficiency.

◦However, there is an indeterminate zone with folate levels of 7–10 nanomol/L (3–4.5 micrograms/L), so low folate should be interpreted as suggestive of deficiency and not diagnostic.

Again something to discuss with your GP to see if he wishes to further investigate and prescribe folic acid.

Please come back and say what your GP is going to do. If he does nothing about your folate level then we can suggest how you may wish to go forward with supplementing for both Folate and B12.

Vit D: 90nmol/L

This is OK. The Vit D Society and Grassroots Health recommend a level of 100-150nmol/L, with a recent blog post on Grassroots Health mentioning a study which recommends over 125nmol/L. If you are one of those people who do well at making Vit D naturally from the sun during the summer months then from March onwards your level should rise. If not then you might want to consider maybe pushing this level up a bit with some D3 and it's important cofactors magnesiumand Vit K2-MK7. Suggestions can be made if you wish.

TSH: 2.66 (0.27-4.2)

FT3: 4.6 (3.1-6.8)

FT4: 13.7 (12-22)

A normal healthy person generally has a TSH of no more than 2, often around 1, with FT4 around mid-range-ish. Your TSH is higher than one would expect to see for someone without a thyroid problem, and your FT4 is very low in range at just 17%.

Improving your nutrient levels may help, particularly ferritin as some experts say that the optimal ferritin level for thyroid function is 90-110ug/L.

I would start on a programme of supplements for your poor nutrient levels and repeat tests in, say, 3-4 months. If nutrient levels have improved but thyroid levels haven't then it would suggest you are on your way to hypothyroidism but your current results wont give you a diagnosis.

Primary hypothyroidism is diagnosed when TSH goes over 10 (despite the range having a top limit of 4.2 or thereabouts). If TSH goes over range with raised antibodies then that would suggest autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto's) and should get you a diagnosis and prescription for Levo.

[Pols13 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thankyou so much Susie I really really appreciate it - so what supplement should I start with would you suggest?

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Pols13]

Nothing yet. See your GP about your Ferritin and Folate results as I've mentioned above. See what he is going to do. Both should be addressed by your GP. You can't self supplement with iron unless you've had an iron panel and full blood count to confirm (or not) iron deficiency and/or anaemia.

Come back and tell us what GP is going to do. Once we have that information we can make further suggestions based on that.