I'm 55 years old and on HRT patches for 12 months. I've had longstanding issues with finding my vitamin D levels difficult to raise (currently 63) and also supplement with vit B12. At the end of Nov had a rapid increase in the following symptoms, which seemed to match with many on the thyroid symptoms checklist:
🟠Extreme fatigue - falling asleep at my desk and just generally feeling very slow
🟠Lack of concentration/forgetfulness
🟠Cold/white extremities - including the end of my nose going numb
🟠Burning hands and feet and tongue
🟠Clumsy and dropping things
🟠Dry skin
🟠Pain aching on the back of my neck/shoulders and tops of arms
🟠Lower back ache and stiffness
🟠Feeling of pressure on the front of my neck when I lay down or sometimes when swallowing
🟠Choking on my saliva once or twice a day
🟠Increase in my tinnitus
🟠Poor sleep quality
🟠Low mood - not depressed, just flat
I sent off for a medichecks thyroid test, as I was worried the GP would just attribute this to the menopause and not investigate further. I have my results back, which the Medichecks doc says is OK. I wondered if you kind folks could cast your eye over them too...
Ah that makes things a bit clearer. Well your antibodies are negative so no autoimmune thyroid condition on this test. They do vary though so could be retested some months later and get a different result.
Both your FT4 and FT3 and low but your TSH only just above 2. No doctor will treat you based on those results but your thyroid could be struggling. Better to get bloods done at 9am, yours were slightly early. TSH varies throughout the day and is highest at 9am.
Sorry, I didn't post these. My ferritin is 48.2ug/L (13 - 150). As per my reply to Slow Dragon below, I've been told I should have these around the 70 mark, but have struggled for several years to raise this consistently. Thanks again for your support. 😊
Again reduced since last now, now only 23% through range. Suggests undermedication.
Were both tests done under the exact same circumstances:
* No later than 9am
* Nothing but water before the test
* Last dose of Levo before the test
* No biotin, B Complex or other supplement containing biotin for 3-7 days before the test.
If you are not diagnosed and not any any thyroid hormone replacement then your results suggest that you are on your way to hypothyroidism but your results, at the moment, aren't bad enough to give you a diagnosis and prescription. Your GP will want to see your TSH at least over range and may want to wait until it reaches 10, or your FT4 below range.
Thank you for your reply. I don't have a thyroid diagnosis, but as everything gets attributed to my menopause at the moment, I thought I'd do a bit of research myself to inform discussions with my GP. I know a lot of these symptoms do overlap with menopause and vitamin issues and am happy to look at this, but want the whole picture if I can.
I took both tests between 7-8am with nothing but water before or after and came off all supplements for 2 weeks before.
My vitamin levels were:
Folate = 26.27ug/L (> 3.89) - this is always at a high level even though I don't supplement
B12 Active = >150pmol/L (37.5 - 150) - I have had issues with this in the past, but these were improved somewhat with supplementing. I have no diagnosis of pernicious anaemia, but I am a vegetarian. I didn't supplement at all for over 2 weeks prior to the test.
Vit D = 63nmol/L (50 - 200) - Despite high doses of supplements (&K2) and sun in the summer, I have struggled to get above this level for years.
Vit D = 63nmol/L (50 - 200) - Despite high doses of supplements (&K2) and sun in the summer, I have struggled to get above this level for years.
Do you also take magnesium, it's another important cofactor of D3. Magnesium helps the body convert D3 into it's usable form. As there are many different forms of magnesium we need to choose the one most suited to our needs:
Another thought, what form of D3 are you taking - tablet, capsule, oil based softgel, sublingual liquid? D3 is fat soluble so needs fat to be absorbed, as does K2. If you're not taking a combined D3/K2 and taking separate supplements, do you take them at the same time? K2 will compete with D3 for the fat to be absorbed so either both need to contain their own fat or they need to be taken at different times of the day.
Sorry, I thought I'd already replied to this! I tell you, my cognition skills are rock bottom right now! 🤦♀️
Thanks for the links, I'll check these out. Also for the Vit D info. I do take a combination of tablet & sublingual D3/K2 at 2-3000iu of D a day. I take these with fatty food, but wasn't aware they were best taken separately, so I'll give that a go.
Hi. Sorry, I forgot to post my ferritin results. These were:
48.2 ug/L - (13 - 150) - as with my Vit D levels, I've struggled to get these up with previous results being:
March 2019 - 47.6
Jan 2020 - 56.9
April 2021 - 68
I was told that I should have ferritin levels around the 70 mark. I'm a vegetarian, but eat a lot of eggs and dairy and also have a good diet with lots of fresh veg, although I know the iron in these is less easily accessed than the other version.
I struggle to take iron supplements as they upset my tummy - even the expensive solgar ones. ( I do wish life were a little simpler! 😉)
This is interesting because I have noticed that many patients with Hashimoto’s disease and hypothyroidism, start to feel worse when their ferritin drops below 80 and usually there is hair loss when it drops below 50.
Never supplement iron without doing full iron panel test for anaemia first and retest 3-4 times a year if self supplementing. It’s possible to have low ferritin but high iron
We have received further information the lab about ferritin reference ranges. They confirm that they are sex dependent up to the age of 60, then beyond the age of 60 the reference range is the same for both sexes:
Males 16-60: 30-400 ug/L
Female's: 16-60: 30-150
Both >60: 30-650
The lower limit of 30 ug/L is in accordance with the updated NICE guidance and the upper limits are in accordance with guidance from the Association of Clinical Biochemists. ‘
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Can you help with new thyroid blood test results, please 
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Could you check results please 
