Results advice please!

[TabithaPH]

Hello, new here and would appreciate some advice on recent blood test results. Blood test was taken at 8.15am (2 hours after waking) if relevant.

I had the test because I have been experiencing symptoms of iron deficiency and/or under active thyroid for the last year or so. Symptoms are:

Increasingly heavy periods, tiredness, getting out of breath when I am otherwise quite fit and active, cold hands and feet, blue fingertips in the cold, brittle nails, dry hair and skin, insomnia, tinnitus, constipation, hair fall and slow hair growth.

I have a family history of thyroid conditions.

I am not on any hormonal birth control, and plan to start trying to conceive in the coming year.

My results are all within range, apart from some slightly above but they were said to be acceptable. I’d appreciate any guidance on what treatment I should be asking my GP for, especially given my want to conceive my first baby.

Ferritin: 24 (range 10-291)

TSH: 3.36 (range 0.55-4.78)

Serum free T4: 15.9 (range 11.5-22.7)

MCH: 32.3 (27.0-32)

MCHC: 346 (315-345).

My own Dr Googling suggests those Ferritin and TSH levels are far from optimal for TTC .

Thank you for any advice you can offer.

[TabithaPH]

I forgot to mention that I get headaches at the end of my period each month, which come and go for a couple of weeks (so another potential symptom).

[McPammy]

Your TSH is too high. It shouldn’t be above 2.5. Anything above and you’ll feel symptoms this was explained to me by my private only endocrinologist. The aim is to get your TSH to about 1.00 where a healthy persons thyroid normally is. There’s no T3 results. This is really important to get. If the NHS won’t do it then there are private options like Monitor My Health. You may well need some T3 medication alongside levothyroxine. Good thing to check also are vitamins D, folate, ferritin and B12 as low levels hinder conversion from T4 to T3. Check your conversion T4 to T3 it’s so important.

[pennyannie]

Hello Tabitha and welcome to the forum :

Your ferritin is much too low and likely the cause of many of your of your symptoms.

I the Nice guidelines suggest a ferritin under 30 requires further investigation - so I would discuss this with your doctor.

You may or may not be hypothyroid but the NHS o not treat until the TSH comes in over 10 on 2 separate blood tests taken a couple of months apart.

Did you also get your other core strength vitamins and minerals tested ?

Active B12, folate and vitamin D as again, if these are low. your health will be compromised.

[TabithaPH]

Thank you, both.

I did manage to see my GP this evening. They were not worried about the TSH level or even really about the ferritin. But they did prescribe me some iron supplements and tranxemic acid.

This doesn’t quite correlate with what I’ve read on a lot of fertility websites (TSH needs to be under 2.5 and ferritin over 70) so I’m not feeling very confident about starting the ttc journey later this year.