Please help..Is my thyroid functioning properly or is it perimenopause..blood work attached

[Theusualsuspects]

Hi..first time posting.I've always had a problem with taking meds and or supplements. .they affect my hormones and in turn it affects my hair. Massive hairloss taking contraceptive pill in my late 20s..I stopped taking it after 6 months and my hair was like straw and I had lost 50% of my hair and it stayed this way for 14 yrs.

I had a baby ages 39..I didn't have the baby hairshedding..it just stayed the same. Then 2 years later, out of nowhere, new hairs started growing all over my head..I was deliriously happy.

I had a miscarriage a year later (hair still great)and someone told me to take maca root and coq10 to help with fertility and as soon as I started taking those my hair fell out again and it messed up my ovulation which I subsequently found out is a side effect. I'm now 49..in perimenopause..

Hair falling out and like straw

Cold hands and feet (all my life)

Terrible Insomnia

Extremely dry inside my nose..no mucous

Feel very very down.

How do I know if this is all sex hormone related or thyroid hormone.

TSH 3.3 (0.35 - 5.5)

FT4 14.2 (11.9 - 21.6)

FT3 5.6 (3.1 - 6.8)

Anti TPO 84.7 ( <34 optimal >34 high)

Vit D 80 nmol\l (50-375)

Vit B12 600 (197 - 771)

Ferretin 76 ng\ml (5 - 204)

Folate13.1 ng\ml (3.1 - 20.5)

Hope this post wasn't too long..Thank you so much for reading x

[Regenallotment Ambassador]

Hello and welcome 🤗

Did they say you have Hashimoto’s? Your over range TPO antibodies confirm this.

Over the years you have probably had times when you felt really well, times when you felt hyper, followed by times of being hypo. I did, from about age 14 to 47 when I got a diagnosis.

Hair loss is common with hypo, low levels of FT4 seem to be linked. Sadly miscarriage is common with hypothyroidism too.

To get treatment in the UK you would need 2 results 12 weeks apart with an over range TSH. Eg mine were 5.5 and 4.8. Patient tip TSH is highest at about 8am. So try and book an early blood test.

Ferritin and Vit D are best for most of us over 100.

Keep getting tested and keeping records, a symptom diary is also a good idea 🌱

[Theusualsuspects in reply to Regenallotment]

Hi @Regenallotment..thank you for your replyMy GP did TSH and FT4 and because they were in range she said 'nothing to see here' and she said if I had an autoimmune disease I'd have it from birth so as far as she is concerned I couldn't have hashimotos.

There is a specialised GP prescribing dessicated thyroid meds and it was his secretary who asked me to get a full thyroid panel done which showed up the elevated anti Tpo of 84..

So does that mean I have hashimotos and if so should I indeed be on thyroid meds or only if I go hypothyroid ?

[Regenallotment Ambassador in reply to Theusualsuspects]

Hello again 😊

Yes positive TPO = Hashimoto’s

Unlikely to get treatment or diagnosis unless your TSH goes above range twice 12 weeks apart.

There is much you can do in the mean time, read up on autoimmune conditions, I like Izabella Wentz books, and my most useful resource SlowDragon ’s valuable advice. Follow all her instructions and you will feel better eventually. 🌱

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Suggest you get full iron panel test

Test early morning, only water to drink between waking and test. Avoid high iron rich dinner night before test

If taking any iron supplements stop 5-7 days before testing

Medichecks iron panel test

medichecks.com/products/iro...

Meanwhile

Look at increasing iron rich foods in diet

Eating iron rich foods like liver or liver pate once a week plus other red meat, pumpkin seeds and dark chocolate, plus daily orange juice or other vitamin C rich drink can help improve iron absorption

List of iron rich foods

dailyiron.net

Links about iron and ferritin

irondisorders.org/too-littl...

davidg170.sg-host.com/wp-co...

Great in-depth article on low ferritin

oatext.com/iron-deficiency-...

drhedberg.com/ferritin-hypo...

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.