I'm in the early stages of pregnancy and had my thyroid checked again...

[Dianne-TX]

I'm deciding whether or not to go back to my endocrinologist. I went in a couple of months ago and my thyroid was borderline low and he thought I would benefit supplementation, but wanted to wait three months while I got started on metformin for PCOS. I've since become pregnant. (yay!) I use a different ob/gyn and did blood work for hormone levels for pregnancy as well as a thyroid test (that I requested). They tested TSH and free T3. My TSH is 1.81 and free T3 is 1.1. I'm still confused on all the thyroid this and that, so I was wondering if those numbers are okay or if I needed to make an appt. with my endo., just to be safe? My ob/gyn said the levels were "within range", but I know enough to know that that might not be the case. Any thoughts? I've been told that low thyroid is not good for infant development.

[WiseOwlKnits]

Under 3 is normal. You should be good. Make sure they continue to check it throughout the pregnancy because each trimester can affect it.

 

And congratulations!!! How exciting!!

[HiddenJewel]

TSH really close to 1 is what is good for most people. (Higher can indicate low thyroid). Your T3 is in the low range. If you are having any low symptoms, supplementation (at least of possibly an OTC product like Standard Process Thytrophan) could make a big difference. I spent way too long with mine low this past year and am being very careful not to do that again. (I've dealt with thyroid issues for 14 years but let it go way too low last year.) And pregnancy can affect thyroid levels so continue to watch it. You can get it tested inexpensively through http://www.healthcheckusa.com (Thyroid Panel II $85) with or without a doctor's order.

 

Congrats!

[happypamama]

I would have the OB/GYN send the bloodwork to the endo and have the endo make the call. 1.81 is in good range, but if you're borderline, the increased demands on your body during pregnancy might make it go up (the lower the TSH, the better -- when it goes high, it means your body is having to put out a larger "signal" to make your thyroid do its job), so you might need a bit of supplementation. The endo may also want to check you postpartum.

[Krista in LA]

Hmm, I don't know what ranges your tests are using because that free T3 is definitely within in the low range on my tests...I know different labs have different ranges though.

 

I had TSH of a perfect 1.0 when I had mine checked, but my free T3 and free T4 were borderline low so my dr put me on meds to see if it relieved my symptoms and I feel so much better now, back to normal. If you feel okay, I wouldn't worry about it, but if you have symptoms, then you might want to pursue it. FWIW, Armor works so much better for me than Synthroid.

[HiddenJewel]

Thyroid definitely needs to be a whole picture diagnosis not just labs. Each person has her optimal range and someone can have "perfect" lab numbers and still be off. So you have to go by symptoms too.

[Ellie]

Thyroid definitely needs to be a whole picture diagnosis not just labs. Each person has her optimal range and someone can have "perfect" lab numbers and still be off. So you have to go by symptoms too.

The trick is finding a doctor who will pay attention to symptoms. Ask me how I know this. :glare:

[LaxMom]

Hmm, I don't know what ranges your tests are using because that free T3 is definitely within in the low range on my tests...I know different labs have different ranges though.

 

I had TSH of a perfect 1.0 when I had mine checked, but my free T3 and free T4 were borderline low so my dr put me on meds to see if it relieved my symptoms and I feel so much better now, back to normal. If you feel okay, I wouldn't worry about it, but if you have symptoms, then you might want to pursue it. FWIW, Armor works so much better for me than Synthroid.

 

My experience exactly. My "optimal" seems to drop my TSH well into hyper range, but my body is very happy with the actual thyroid levels (no hyper symptoms, no more hypo symptoms, normal life).

 

Without symptoms, though, I probably wouldn't pursue it, though. It may have been sluggish before as part of the PCOS.

[zookeeper]

My experience exactly. My "optimal" seems to drop my TSH well into hyper range, but my body is very happy with the actual thyroid levels (no hyper symptoms, no more hypo symptoms, normal life).

 

Without symptoms, though, I probably wouldn't pursue it, though. It may have been sluggish before as part of the PCOS.

 

That's the way mine is too. My regular dr would freak if he knew what my TSH levels are while supplementing. Luckily I found another who would work with me.

 

To the OP, your T3 levels are definitely low. Since you're pg, it would probably be a good idea to supplement some. I've always had to increase my armour amt during pg.

[HiddenJewel]

The trick is finding a doctor who will pay attention to symptoms. Ask me how I know this. :glare:

 

I'm well aware that there are very few doctors who know how to diagnose thyroid issues, let alone monitor and treat them correctly.

 

 

 

My experience exactly. My "optimal" seems to drop my TSH well into hyper range, but my body is very happy with the actual thyroid levels (no hyper symptoms, no more hypo symptoms, normal life).

 

 

Low TSH levels alone do not indicate hyperthyroid. It just means that the body has no need to call more thyroid hormone thus the TSH does not raise. So a level between 0-1 and with good Free T3 and Free T4 numbers can be a a good place to be.

[Veritaserum]

Under 3 is normal, but you want it under 2/2.5 throughout pregnancy. I started this pregnancy at 3.36 and was down to 1.78 five weeks later after increasing my medication. I've been totally wiped out in the past few weeks, so I'm wondering if my meds should change again. I have my next prenatal on Thursday and will get it checked then.

[HiddenJewel]

Under 3 is normal, but you want it under 2/2.5 throughout pregnancy. I started this pregnancy at 3.36 and was down to 1.78 five weeks later after increasing my medication. I've been totally wiped out in the past few weeks, so I'm wondering if my meds should change again. I have my next prenatal on Thursday and will get it checked then.

 

A TSH of 3 is high for a lot of people. Again, you have to go back to symptoms.

[LaxMom]

I'm well aware that there are very few doctors who know how to diagnose thyroid issues, let alone monitor and treat them correctly.

 

 

 

 

 

Low TSH levels alone do not indicate hyperthyroid. It just means that the body has no need to call more thyroid hormone thus the TSH does not raise. So a level between 0-1 and with good Free T3 and Free T4 numbers can be a a good place to be.

 

True enough. Interestingly, while my TSH is suppressed to 0.08 with supplementation (probably non-existent now that I've upped the dose), my Free T4 stayed exactly the same & Free T3 was similarly unaffected. Weird, huh? Seems like they should be higher next lab round, since I feel like a functioning human again.

[HiddenJewel]

True enough. Interestingly, while my TSH is suppressed to 0.08 with supplementation (probably non-existent now that I've upped the dose), my Free T4 stayed exactly the same & Free T3 was similarly unaffected. Weird, huh? Seems like they should be higher next lab round, since I feel like a functioning human again.

 

One thing I found out was that I was getting my labs taken way too long after my last dose thus I was getting whacky results. To get the most accurate results, it is supposed to be drawn something like 6-12 hours after your last thyroid dose. I couldn't believe I've been getting thyroid labs for 14 years and just found this out in the last 3 months. So I am very curious to see what my next labs look like.