Please could I ask for some advice on my recent blood test results? I’m on a journey to understanding the link between thyroid function and repeated miscarriages (I’ve put more details in my bio section).
These were my results from December 2023 (from blue horizon). I spoke to a private endocrinologist in December who has increased my levothyroxine to 75mg per day and 100mg once a week. I’ve also been advised to take an extra 1000 units of Vitamin D daily.
I was slightly confused by the TPA result, as my NHS blood tests for TPAs over the last couple of years were all very high around 1000. I had read online about diet being able to affect antibodies, but my GP had said nothing could change antibody levels. I tried cutting out soy in the month preceding the December blood test just to see, and was surprised that it had reduced to only 153. Could that change simply be caused by different labs?
I am going to re-take the blood test mid-January and have a follow up appointment with the endocrinologist in February.
If anyone has any advice on anything else I can do to improve my health and reduce chances of miscarriage I’d be very grateful. Suggestions on what to ask my endocrinologist would be welcome too.
Thank you
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Treesandleaves
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Antibodies fluctuate all the time, and it has little to do with diet - although I know those claims - and nothing to do with soy. Soy is bad, though because it can stop thyroid hormones getting into the cells.
But the actual level of the antibodies is irrelevant once you've had a positive reading. It doesn't reflect the seriousness - or otherwise - of the disease. It depends on the job they have to do. After an immune attack on the thyroid, the antibodies come along to clean up the blood. And when that job is done, the levels reduce again.
My GP put me on 25 mg levothyroxine which helped to reduce my TSH to around 4.5 which was within the ‘normal’/green reference range in the results graph. This all made me think that TSH of 4.5 was good.
were these results when on only 25mcg ?
Was dose increased from 25mcg up to 75mcg daily (and 100mcg once week) in one go?
Bloods should be retested in 8 weeks
Which brand of levothyroxine were you on
Which brand now?
What vitamin supplements are you currently taking ?
Recommended that all thyroid blood tests early morning, ideally just before 9am, only drink water between waking and test and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test
This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip)
Your antibodies are high this is Hashimoto's, (also known by medics here in UK more commonly as autoimmune thyroid disease).
Hashimoto's affects the gut and leads to low stomach acid and then low vitamin levels
Low vitamin levels affect Thyroid hormone working
Poor gut function can lead leaky gut (literally holes in gut wall) this can cause food intolerances.
Most common by far is gluten.
Dairy is second most common.
All thyroid patients advised to avoid soy
A trial of strictly gluten free diet is always worth doing
Only 5% of Hashimoto’s patients test positive for coeliac but a further 81% of Hashimoto’s patients who try gluten free diet find noticeable or significant improvement or find it’s essential
A strictly gluten free diet helps or is essential due to gluten intolerance (no test available) or due to leaky gut and gluten causing molecular mimicry (see Amy Myers link)
Changing to a strictly gluten free diet may help reduce symptoms, help gut heal and may slowly lower TPO antibodies
While still eating high gluten diet ask GP for coeliac blood test first as recommended by NICE guidelines
The predominance of Hashimoto thyroiditis represents an interesting finding, since it has been indirectly confirmed by an Italian study, showing that autoimmune thyroid disease is a risk factor for the evolution towards NCGS in a group of patients with minimal duodenal inflammation. On these bases, an autoimmune stigma in NCGS is strongly supported
In summary, whereas it is not yet clear whether a gluten free diet can prevent autoimmune diseases, it is worth mentioning that HT patients with or without CD benefit from a diet low in gluten as far as the progression and the potential disease complications are concerned
Despite the fact that 5-10% of patients have Celiac disease, in my experience and in the experience of many other physicians, at least 80% + of patients with Hashimoto's who go gluten-free notice a reduction in their symptoms almost immediately.
Similarly few months later consider trying dairy free too. Approx 50-60% find dairy free beneficial
With loads of vegan dairy alternatives these days it’s not as difficult as in the past
If symptoms of hypothyroidism persist despite normalisation of TSH, the dose of levothyroxine can be titrated further to place the TSH in the lower part of the reference range or even slightly below (i.e., TSH: 0.1–2.0 mU/L), but avoiding TSH < 0.1 mU/L. Use of alternate day dosing of different levothyroxine strengths may be needed to achieve this (e.g., 100 mcg for 4 days; 125 mcg for 3 days weekly).
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Medichecks results 
Could I have some guidance please?
Help with test results please.
Help with test results including vitamins 
Thyroid advice, please!
