I have suspected for a while that I may have a thyroid issue. I am always cold, fatigued, overweight and struggle to loss no matter what I try, and dry skin and hair. I undertook a blood check on medichecks and my results where as follows:
TSH 4.51
Free T3 4.6
Free Thyroxine 15.9
I am also waiting to undertake IVF procedure and would like to make sure that I am the healthiest I can be.
what should be my next step. It doesn’t seem high enough that my doctor would entertain it so not sure what to do.
many help or advice would be appreciated
Written by
Gilloneill18
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We always need reference ranges when posting results, ranges vary from lab to lab. However, the Medichecks ranges are
TSH: 4.51 (0.27-4.20)
FT4: 15.9 (12-22)
FT3: 4.6 (3.1-6.8)
Your TSH shows subclinical hypothyroidism, ie over range TSH with normal FT4. This would not get you a diagnosis and treatment with Levo normally, but when considering pregnancy you ideally would have TSH no higher than 2.5 so you need to present evidence to your GP about this.
Conventional wisdom suggests that 4.2 should be the upper limit for TSH. However, recent studies have suggested that TSH should be no higher than 2.5 when trying to conceive and 3.0 during pregnancy.
There is evidence supporting a decreased risk for pregnancy loss and preterm delivery for pregnant women with TSH > 4.0 mIU/L receiving LT4 therapy. LT4 treatment has been associated with better reproductive outcomes in women with SCH undergoing artificial reproductive techniques, but not in those who are attempting natural conception.
If you are planning a pregnancy you should let your doctor know and ideally have a blood test before you conceive. Experts in the field recommend that if you are on levothyroxine the TSH level should ideally be kept in the lower half of the reference range before pregnancy as this has been associated with a lower risk of miscarriage.
You may be able to find more if you do an internet search. Present all to your GP and ask to be started on Levo so you have a chance of successful conception and pregnancy. Hopefully your fertility clinic will also have some information that you can pass on to your GP.
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