‘Normal’ results but not for fertility?

[islander85]

Hi everyone, I’ve been trying to conceive for 14 months. In September 2020 my TSH was 1.55 and T4 was 11.2. My GP said my T4 was borderline low and to retest on 3 months. Retested in December 2020 and results were TSH 1.17, T4 13.9. GP said that was fine. I recently retested through medichecks and TSH is 4.05 T4 is 12.7 and T3 is 4.76. Medichecks said all normal but everything I’ve read has said TSH under 2.5 is optimal for fertility. Are my most recent results really normal or should I contact my GP? Will my GP give me meds even though I am in the ‘normal range’ since I am trying to conceive? Thanks! D

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Welcome to the forum

You are correct TSH is too high for TTC

Did you get thyroid antibodies and vitamins tested as well?

For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 plus both TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested.

Very important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12

Low vitamin levels are extremely common, especially with autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto’s or Ord’s thyroiditis)

Recommended on here that all thyroid blood tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and before eating or drinking anything other than water .

This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip)

Private tests are available as NHS currently rarely tests Ft3 or all relevant vitamins

List of private testing options

thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...

Medichecks Thyroid plus antibodies and vitamins

medichecks.com/products/adv...

Blue Horizon Thyroid Premium Gold includes antibodies, cortisol and vitamins by DIY fingerprick test

bluehorizonbloodtests.co.uk...

If you can get GP to test vitamins and antibodies then cheapest option for just TSH, FT4 and FT3

£29 (via NHS private service ) and 10% off down to £26.10 if go on thyroid uk for code

thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...

monitormyhealth.org.uk/

NHS easy postal kit vitamin D test £29 via

vitamindtest.org.uk

If TPO or TG thyroid antibodies are high this is usually due to Hashimoto’s (commonly known in UK as autoimmune thyroid disease).

About 90% of all primary hypothyroidism in Uk is due to Hashimoto’s. Low vitamin levels are particularly common with Hashimoto’s.

Gluten intolerance is often a hidden issue too

Link about thyroid blood tests

thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...

Link about Hashimoto’s

thyroiduk.org/hypothyroid-b...

List of hypothyroid symptoms

thyroiduk.org/if-you-are-un...

Pregnancy guidelines

thyroiduk.org/having-a-baby-2/

gp-update.co.uk/files/docs/...

See pages 7&8

btf-thyroid.org/Handlers/Do...

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

[islander85 in reply to SlowDragon]

Thank you so much for the comprehensive information and advice. I will get those tests you recommended and also see what my GP is willing to do. Thanks so much! 😊

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to islander85]

Come back with new post once you get results

Was your medichecks test done early morning?

Was GP test early morning or later?

[islander85 in reply to SlowDragon]

Medichecks was definitely done first thing in the morning but I think the GP tests may have been a bit later. Yes, I will come back when I have those results for sure!

[Wilfred123]

Hello, I went through 13 rounds of fertility treatment and was under an endocrinologist to get my TSH consistently at 1 which is vital whilst trying to conceive. Once pregnant you will need to increase your dose by up to one third, check this though as you'll be supplementing with estrogen if you're on a medicated IVF cycle. If it's a natural pregnancy you need to monitor and check for dips in TSH.

[islander85 in reply to Wilfred123]

Thank you so much for your reply!

[KCFryer]

Hi, you can also check for PCOS. If you have it, it can also make it difficult to conceive. I have hypothyroidism and at the age of 40 I got pregnant almost by accident haha and I was taking Metformin to treat insulin resistance. What I didn't know, is that Metformin can help improve your rate of ovulation, increasing your chances of getting pregnant.