For some time now I have been worried about my 15 year old daughter.
She was a very slim, borderline under weight little girl until she hit puberty when her weight just ballooned. Her periods started at just under 13, but after one light one they disappeared for a year. When they came back they were frighteningly heavy (like mine were in my teens) I have taken her to the doctors a few times after one morning she flooded after getting out of bed and started to pass out until i got her and laid her down. The doctor said she is maybe a little aneamic and needs to lose weight, she pescribed a clotting tablet for her to take when her periods are heaviest. Some have lasted 20 days with about 10 heavy ones. She has no real pattern still after nearly two years of periods but she roughly bleeds about 10-12 days then has no period for about two months, sometimes an odd one will come maybe five weeks after the last but this is rare. I started to think thyroid, but the doctor said highly unlikely and more like PCOS because of her weight and spots. I asked for thyroid test to be sure. This was several months ago, and to be honest I wasnt aware of the need for early morning TSH testing We had bloods taken at 5pm.
I was told by the receptionist several days later that my daughters bloods were all fine and in range (doctor had checked them) so I left it at that, however over the last few weeks i have learned a lot about the thyroid and its symptoms and this made me wonder what her levels actually were.
I called the doctors today for a print out and got these results
THESE WERE FROM 5PM BLOOD DRAW
TSH 1.4 (0.3-4.94)
SERUM FREE T4 10.4 (9.0-19.1)
OTHER RESULTS THAT LOOK BORDERLINE ARE
Mean cell vol 84.00 fl (84.00-99.00)
serum sex hormone binding globulin 18.nmol (18-114)
Serum ferritin 37.8ug/l (10-204)
Dont have vit d or b6 results so they cant have tested them
I am going to invest now in the full bloods (home test) because I am worried, i appreciate that the TSH isn't majorly high but considering this was an evening draw I worry what the early am fasting ones would show (any ideas?) is there a conversion table to work out the difference in levels at different times of day?
My daughter has dyslexia and as a young woman is a nervous and sensitive soul who upsets easy, like me she also suffers with an exagerated startle response to noise or unexpected things happening (for example someone walking in room when her back is turned, she may scream and jump when she first sees them)
She was epileptic for the first four years of life and took sodium valproate.
She is about 5ft 7" and I dont know her wait as she will not let us see , but i guess about 12 stone.
Her outer eyebrows are barely visible
she has constipation and sometimes a really sensitive tummy (saw doctor for this and they said perhaps ibs)
she doesnt feel the cold as much as me, but she has zero stamina for exercise, and is often tired, but i dont think this is as bad as my fatigue yet, she has cravings for salt, carbs and sweet things which doesnt help and i end up policing her.
clumsiness is another issue, the school tested her for dyspraxia a few years ago and said she had mild signs.
It will hinge on results i suppose, but i feel bad now for not seeing this before, and being fobbed off by the docs.
Any ideas/ advice re results or hypothyroid?
Thanks guys x
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Femme1
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Looking at her blood tests, her T4 is very low in the range. I suspect she is hypothyroid. I would definitely recommend getting another test in the near future.
For adult women a ferritin level above 70-90 is optimal for most, but your daughter's looks a bit low so she may benefit from iron supplements. B12 is another one to get tested.
Why hasn't she been referred to a gynaecologist? If she is having this much trouble she really should be referred. Please push for this. They should at least check her hormones properly and check for endometriosis etc.
I wondered about adrenal insufficiency as she is so sensitive. Salt cravings are another symptom. It would be a good idea to look at the list of symptoms for this and see how many she ticks and then ask her GP for a cortisol test first thing in the morning (it should be at the top of the range at that time of day).
Given the cognitive functioning issues and clumsiness etc, it might be wise to check B12. It wouldn't hurt to give a B vitamin complex, especially if she needs to take some iron too.
Please also push for full sex hormone profile. This needs to be sorted out before she gets to exam time.
I take sodium valproate for epilepsy and I was told that it can cause PCOS. However, I was also told that it should reverse once stopping it.
I'm getting bloods done this week with blue horizon, the others listed above were taken 1st feb. I just want to have full knowledge of this so we have a starting point, as in if it looks like thyroid we push for help, and if not we push for further testing.
I have been giving my daughter an iron and vit c tablet for about six months due to her bleeding, and she takes the multibionta vitamin too, but maybe we should invest in better bvits , i have ferrous sulphate bought for me this week, do you think this would be better for her too?
re sex hormone profile , she had fsh test which came back1.9Iul (no range) and also serum Lh which was 1.0. The bloods were taken as advised during her period. there are no ranges for these two, so not very helpful!
When I am not on enough thyroid meds I get clumsy and my latent dyslexia rears its ugly head. I also craved carbs especially. I think if you are low on energy your body will crave sugar as it knows that this could help the energy deficiency.
Your daughter could be suffering this too.
I agree with Carolyn B and hope you find the answer soon.
Its interesting how even things like dyslexia may be related isn't it, and you discuss low energy, my daughter has little get up and go with regard to anything strenuos (like me lol)
will wait on results taken in a morning this time and see whats what!
I was slightly older than your daughter when I was referred to a gynaecologist. I was in so much pain and nausea, passing clots and lots of blood, that I had ended up in A&E on one occasion. I was prescribed Mefanamic acid, which is a clotting aid, which did b****r all. My choices were put up with it, or exploratory surgery just in case - which seemed slightly pointless since they had no idea what they were looking for, so I put up with it. It was the best of two very bad options.
I don't know if gynae is any better these days, but it's probably not where your daughter's problems begin... it could be all round hormone deficiencies, probably including thyroid, growth hormone and adrenal hormones. If the thyroid and adrenals are not working, then sex hormones will be thrown out of kilter. You could ask for pituitary function to be checked.
Since many of her readings were borderline, perhaps it's worth getting them rechecked a few months down the line to see if there's a progression.
I think I remember the paper about the TSH at different times of day... TSH was about 50-100% higher when tested in the morning, if I remember right. If the next test is a morning one, that might show something...
had thyroid checks on first of feb, and am going to do in next few days if she will part with finger blood lol, to help see the bigger picture, want ft3 and antibodies tested too as I know these are not readily given by docs.
Thanks for the Tsh info too, even at 50% more, this will make her TSH 2.2 Which is hardly ideal, but will have to wait and see I suppose
Yes I think her results look suspicious for hypothyroidism too. I have a feeling that TSH will probably be higher in the range if taken first thing in the morning, but so will FT4. From memory FT4 will be lowest in the afternoon.
I hope you can get to the bottom of this for her and you. Good luck. xx
This was the paper I was thinking of My problem was different in that I had a high TSH of 18.0 but just in range fT3 and fT4, so I went for an afternoon blood draw to try and get lower fT3 and fT4 xx
Hi Clarebear, I have a feeling it's hypothyroid to be honest, i dont want there to be anything wrong BUT ive got to the stage now that I just want to know and thus get help or look at self treatments etc so I definitely want to know if my daughters are going to be going through this nightmare.
I am having my other daughter tested too as she has some symptoms also, minefield eh!
Didn't know about Ft4 being lower in the aft though, thats interesting !
I have two daughters too and am worried for them. They are only 11 and 9. One of them wants to be a GP - let's hope that if she gets there that she is a bit more sympathetic than the majority of doctors xx
Ooh yes, someone with a bit more savvy with thyroid conditions or even a consciencewould be a start, keep her motivated lol, she'll have patients queueing out of the door!
My two are 15 and 18, and you just cant help but worry with the more you learn, the more you start to recognise which is good in some respects but a nightmare in others! xx
Not only does she have all the signs of hypo, but of adrenal fatigue too. The salt craving and being easily startled. So if you're going to get private tests done, testing adrenals would be a very good idea, I thinK.
Hope you manage to sort it out soon. The poor girl must be miserable. Your doctor is obviously as much help as a limp lettuce if she can't see that the problems are thyroid. It's such a shame.
Thanks for the advice Grey, I will be bankrupt by the end of the month with all of this private testing but you cannot put a price on health can you. Will look into adrenal testing too after thyroid profile , might have mine done too as the startle and salt cravings are the same for me!
Hi - like you i have a 15 year old daughter who I believed was hypo (both myself and her father are). Her results kept coming back within range, but I knew from her symtoms that she was hypo. I took her for her last blood test as soon as the hospital opened at 9am, sure enough her TSH was out of range, her antibodies were also rising, she has now just began to take 50mg of levo.
I sugggest you get her antibodies checked as this is a good indication of what is going on in her body.
Heavy periods can also be a symptom, my daughter and i have just discussed her going on the pill with her GP to help with the heavy blood flow and irregular periods.
Thanks for this info, its encouraging that your daughter is now getting treatment ! I have ordered the full panel testing kit from Blue Horizon so hopefully if something is amiss in this line all will be revealed. Its bad enough when it is yourself suffering, but its heartbreaking when regarding your children x
I have finally received blue horizon results for my daughter.
TSH 1.49
Total thyroxine 89 (59 _154)
Free thyroxine 13.4 (12-22)
Free T3 5.6 (3.5 _7.7) this last one has a different level of normal range to when I had mine tested a few weeks ago
As you will see her TSH Is quite low Although more than 1, however the others are low in ranges, as per I am guessing this means we will get zero help from the doctor. 're her symptoms above should I just trial her on nutri thyroid as a starting place ? Her weight is an issue as is her dwindling energy levels, erratic period too. She is taking a vitamin c and iron tablet, multi vitamin, B vitamin mix and pro biotic.I know you cannot tell me what to do officially but any advice would be great.
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xx
but you cannot put a price on health can you. Will look into adrenal testing too after thyroid profile , might have mine done too as the startle and salt cravings are the same for me! 
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