Does this thyroid level look ok?

[Cryingatthegym]

Recent blood test for heavy periods and fatigue. I am a 37 year old female.

Blood test has come back with TSH level 0.75 mu/l. Dr Google tells me this could indicate hyperthyroidism, but my mum, who is an NHS nurse practitioner, tells me it's fine. I've heard that NHS thresholds are generally quite low, so I'm not sure who to believe.

My iron levels have also come back as 15ug/l which I KNOW is low - but according to the NHS this is borderline.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Bump

I think the thyroid is fine. The iron is definitely low enough to give you symptoms. The NHS range is ridiculous.

Normal thyroid levels is between 12 and 22. I sit naturally at the bottom end.

Does that mean 0.75 is low? The numbers mean nothing to me!

The TSH range at the lab here is 0.27 to 4.5. My reading is 0.6.

Free T4 range is 11 to 23 but I guess they didn't check this.

0.4 - 4mU/L is normal

Thanks all

There should be three numbers against the TSH result, the actual value and the normal range in brackets (usually given after the result). The normal range does vary slightly according to the version of the test they use. Do you have the full result including the range for the test used?

This is the full result, thank you

So in this case your result is 0.75, and "Normal" is anything between 0.35 and 4.9. So you're within the normal range, although towards the bottom of the normal range. On it's own it doesn't suggest a problem.

Dr Google is notoriously unreliable, I don't believe he's a real doctor really. I have been hypo- and hyperthyroid (I have Grave's disease), and this result wouldn't worry me on its own. But if there were other indications/symptoms or a family history of AIT I'd be requesting T3/T4 from my GP as well.

Thank you so much for explaining it so clearly.

What other symptoms/indicators should I be looking out for? I've been feeling run down/exhausted/generally unwell for a really long time now, but I have been under a lot of stress and also been having horribly heavy periods for a couple of years. So I'm not sure whether it's just my circumstances or whether there could be a physical problem.

My initial symptoms were hyperthyroidism - hot flushes, tremors in my arms, unexplained weight-loss. Backed up by a strong family history of the condition. Several living (and dead) relations have (had) autoimmune thyroid disease.

It's important to understand a bit about the role of TSH. TSH is Thyroid Stimulating Hormone. When the body needs more thyroid hormone it increases production of TSH to call for it. This triggers the thyroid to make more thyroid hormone (it gets a bit more complicated if we go into where T3 and T4 sit, but we can treat them as one under "thyroid hormone" for now).

Thyroid hormone, to put it childishly simply, regulates how fast your body runs. Too much and you run too fast/too hot. Too little and you run too slow. Fatigue, lethargy and "brain fog" are generally associated with too little thyroid hormone - which would usually cause TSH to be high (the body calling for more).

If your TSH was below the normal range then that could indicate the body is overproducing thyroid hormone (hyperthyroid). But you can't really tell if that's the case without also measuring the T3/T4. Yours is in the normal range, so most GPs are going to ignore that and focus on the low iron result instead - which better fits fatigue.

The most common thyroid conditions are autoimmune (Grave's disease and Hashimoto's disease). These tend to be inherited conditions (which can skip generations), and often occur alongside other autoimmune conditions. So if there's any history of autoimmune conditions in the family you should make your GP aware.

Thank you for your help @DogInATent

Serum TSH Normal Range is 0.2-4.3

Ok
So it's more about your symptoms

How regular are you periodS
Have you gained weight
Are you tired
Do you get brain fog
Do you get a 3pm crash
Dow have hair loss
Is the outerpart of your eyebrow thinning

There are so many factors and it's more about symptoms. Speak to your doctor if you feel you have symptoms

Hi,

I'd say keep an eye on it and keep pushing for blood tests regularly if the symptoms persist. I have been going to the GP for a while (early 40s) with the same symptoms and they kept testing the thyroid and saying it was OK. The sudden decrease from Dec to May should have raised some eyebrows but because I was still within the reference range, I was deemed "OK" and occasionally made to feel like I was the crazy one. And suddenly in Aug, TSH bottomed out and F3 and 4 were through the roof. Hyperthyroidism was diagnosed and I started medication mid October sometime. I still feel like poop and TSH does not want to leave the bottom of the pile. F3 and 4 are fine as of yesterday. I also had a Pulmonary embolism in November, potentially due to this. I would advise not to leave it too late like me although NHS will never refer you further as long as your bloods are even 0.00001 within the range. Best of luck!