Does 3.91 TSH mean hypothyroidism?

[Anonymous]

I had a year where mine fluctuated between 5 and 9 and I felt fine. It’s back below 5 now. Never went on meds. So I think everyone is different. If you’re gaining weight/tired/etc and have a family history - it’s worth seeing an endo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have had hypothyroidism (Hashimoto's) for 20 year and I would not be able to get out of bed if that was my TSH. Mine is 0.1!

Interesting.

The reference range on the lab results is 0.45 to 4.5 and I land at 3.91.

So you think that's high and I should be tired? I mean, I am usually pretty tired and I've increased my B12 which I thought was helping.

I'm noticing that my bun and creatinine ratio while not flagged are a bit skewed to one side, and google tells me that can be for a number of reasons--including hypothyroidism.

A TSH over 2.0 means you have thyroid issues. The 0-4.5 range is ridiculous and why so many people have issues and are not being treated.

But ideally you need your antibodies tested, Free T3, Free T4 and Reverse T3 tested as they tell much more than TSH (it's not a reliable indicator)

[Anonymous]

Find an endo who will treat symptoms and not lab reports. ANd get everything test.

I've had hypothryoidism for 40 yrs, and mine is usually just under 1, where I feel best. Everyone is different. If mine were at your level I'd be sleeping all day every day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:many doctors have ignored TSH under 5. It turns out that miscarriages are more likely if TSH is over 2, which is how I was able to get my hypothyroidism actually addressed.

75mcg of levothyroxine daily keeps my TSH around 1.5, which is where I generally feel ok. Some integrative medicine docs are also willing to do T3 supplementation, as not everyone can efficiently convert T4 to T3, but traditional endocrinologists are less likely to do that.

I'm on it for fertility purposes. No pcp or obgyn I've seen has considered 4+ concerning but reproductive endocrinologist does for fertility purposes. Pcp says I should consider weaning off after I'm done having babies

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:many doctors have ignored TSH under 5. It turns out that miscarriages are more likely if TSH is over 2, which is how I was able to get my hypothyroidism actually addressed.

75mcg of levothyroxine daily keeps my TSH around 1.5, which is where I generally feel ok. Some integrative medicine docs are also willing to do T3 supplementation, as not everyone can efficiently convert T4 to T3, but traditional endocrinologists are less likely to do that.

I'm on it for fertility purposes. No pcp or obgyn I've seen has considered 4+ concerning but reproductive endocrinologist does for fertility purposes. Pcp says I should consider weaning off after I'm done having babies

I honestly think that’s ridiculous. Many women can’t get pregnant if their tsh is above 2.0. Why would they want you to stop supplementing your thyroid when it’s clear that you are deficient?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:many doctors have ignored TSH under 5. It turns out that miscarriages are more likely if TSH is over 2, which is how I was able to get my hypothyroidism actually addressed.

75mcg of levothyroxine daily keeps my TSH around 1.5, which is where I generally feel ok. Some integrative medicine docs are also willing to do T3 supplementation, as not everyone can efficiently convert T4 to T3, but traditional endocrinologists are less likely to do that.

I'm on it for fertility purposes. No pcp or obgyn I've seen has considered 4+ concerning but reproductive endocrinologist does for fertility purposes. Pcp says I should consider weaning off after I'm done having babies

It’s strange that it is accepted that TSH <2 is optimal for getting and staying pregnant, but outside of that a higher level is ok. If the body can’t do a major function like getting pregnant with a higher TSH, what other body functions are less than optimal at that level?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have had hypothyroidism (Hashimoto's) for 20 year and I would not be able to get out of bed if that was my TSH. Mine is 0.1!

That's crazy. TSH of 1-2 I feel hyper with lots of heart palpitations, insomnia and anxiety. TSH of 3-5 I feel ok. TSH of 7+ I'm tired have no energy. 3.91 is not bad OP.

You are definitely an outlier. Most endocrinologists will target a tsh to 1.0 to 2.0. I’ve never heard of someone having hyperthyroid symptoms at that level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My doctor was reluctant to treat when I was at 6. She said below 10 is sub clinical. I fought her with my list of symptoms and she relented but even outside the range she wouldn’t just give the medication. I feel so much better on Levothyroxine.

Yikes! What type of doctor?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:many doctors have ignored TSH under 5. It turns out that miscarriages are more likely if TSH is over 2, which is how I was able to get my hypothyroidism actually addressed.

75mcg of levothyroxine daily keeps my TSH around 1.5, which is where I generally feel ok. Some integrative medicine docs are also willing to do T3 supplementation, as not everyone can efficiently convert T4 to T3, but traditional endocrinologists are less likely to do that.

I'm on it for fertility purposes. No pcp or obgyn I've seen has considered 4+ concerning but reproductive endocrinologist does for fertility purposes. Pcp says I should consider weaning off after I'm done having babies

It’s strange that it is accepted that TSH <2 is optimal for getting and staying pregnant, but outside of that a higher level is ok. If the body can’t do a major function like getting pregnant with a higher TSH, what other body functions are less than optimal at that level?

Exactly!!! It’s insane how hard it is to get a thyroid properly treated. And I guarantee you there are thousands and thousands of women who can’t get pregnant and either give up or spend oodles of money on IVF when what they really need is a properly managed thyroid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My doctor was reluctant to treat when I was at 6. She said below 10 is sub clinical. I fought her with my list of symptoms and she relented but even outside the range she wouldn’t just give the medication. I feel so much better on Levothyroxine.

Yikes! What type of doctor?

A lot of PCPs are like this. They use outdated reference ranges and don’t want to have the patient come back for the regular bloodwork necessary to fine-tune the treatment levels.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:many doctors have ignored TSH under 5. It turns out that miscarriages are more likely if TSH is over 2, which is how I was able to get my hypothyroidism actually addressed.

75mcg of levothyroxine daily keeps my TSH around 1.5, which is where I generally feel ok. Some integrative medicine docs are also willing to do T3 supplementation, as not everyone can efficiently convert T4 to T3, but traditional endocrinologists are less likely to do that.

I'm on it for fertility purposes. No pcp or obgyn I've seen has considered 4+ concerning but reproductive endocrinologist does for fertility purposes. Pcp says I should consider weaning off after I'm done having babies

It’s strange that it is accepted that TSH <2 is optimal for getting and staying pregnant, but outside of that a higher level is ok. If the body can’t do a major function like getting pregnant with a higher TSH, what other body functions are less than optimal at that level?

Exactly!!! It’s insane how hard it is to get a thyroid properly treated. And I guarantee you there are thousands and thousands of women who can’t get pregnant and either give up or spend oodles of money on IVF when what they really need is a properly managed thyroid.

Yep. I am so happy I saw an RE once when I felt like something wasn’t right with my cycle. She flagged my TSH right away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Find an endo who will treat symptoms and not lab reports. ANd get everything test.

I've had hypothryoidism for 40 yrs, and mine is usually just under 1, where I feel best. Everyone is different. If mine were at your level I'd be sleeping all day every day.

The bolded is so important. I feel best when my TSH is around 1. Once I start approaching 2, I start feeling fatigue, having insomnia, etc. and need to have my meds adjusted. Fortunately, my endo is very open to treating me based on how I feel as opposed to the numbers on the lab report.

[Anonymous]

OMG this is why so many women in 40s and 50s walk around feeling like crap and say "but my labs were normal"! No they are not! You should not feel tired and have unexplained weight gain because of your age.

[Anonymous]

I'm so tired of these posts. I have thyroid disease and I'd love to pass it on to all you WHO wishes they do (but don't) have thyroid disease.Then they doctor shop until they find someone to write them a prescription. It's totally insane.

[Anonymous]

Find a doctor (doesn't have to be an endo) who will take symptoms into account, not just lab results. I'd definitely be flat on the floor with a TSH that high. Also, you need to have a full thyroid panel run, not just TSH, which is only a proxy for thyroid functioning and doesn't give you the full picture of appropriate treatment. For example, my reverse T3 is high if I don't take T3 in addition to thyroid hormone. I take Armour Thyroid, not levothyoxine, as well, as I do better on it.

I just got my lab results today and my TSH was 0.83. My primary care doctor and my endo both like to keep me between 0.5 and 1.