20 million people in the US have a thyroid disorder - 60% are unaware they have one.
Thyroid conditions affect women 5-8X more likely than men because of birth control at a young age.
Conventional doctors will say that you can measure TSH and know if your thyroid is working. “The test is specific enough.” They would argue.
But your TSH numbers could be “normal,” and there could still be a problem with your thyroid hormones. If you don’t test for T4, Free T4, T3, and Free T3, you may never know if your body is converting correctly.
Labs and doctors often miss vital patterns:
1.) High cortisol can fatigue the pituitary gland, which can shut down TSH production (Low TSH & T4)
2.) Under conversion of T4 to T3 (High T4 but low T3)
T4 is the inactive form, but your body needs to turn it into T3.
3.) Chronic fatigue when TSH levels are normal but T3 is low
What are T4 and T3?
T4 is a hormone that is the most commonly prescribed medication for an underactive thyroid. But, the T3 thyroid hormone is more effective for maintaining our metabolism.
Hypothyroidism leads to the real slowdown of metabolic processes, which can lead to weight gain.
There are three types of hypothyroidism.
1.) Hashimoto’s - autoimmune thyroid disease
2.) Hypothyroidism due to the decrease of TSH - the decreased function of the pituitary gland
3.) Hypothyroidism due to a decline of TRH- damaged hypothalamus
“45 percent of my readers with Hashimoto’s reported that stopping birth control helped them normalize their weight.” – Thyroid pharmacist.
But keep in mind antidepressants can lead to weight gain as well!
What To Ask Your Doctor To Test For:
Serum TSH - will increase for 1st type hypothyroidism but decrease for the 2/3 type.
Free T4- will be low.
Free T3 - will be normal or low.
Extra: Concentration of antithyroid antibodies (AT-TPO), especially if you have an autoimmune disease
Indicators:
TSH standard range (0.5–5.0), but the functional range is actually (1.8–3.0).
The thyroid gland of an adult per day secretes into the blood about 80 μg (103 nmol) of T4, 4 μg (7 nmol) of T3, and 2 μg (3.5 nmol) of reversible RT3. Free T4 should be within 1.0 -1.8. Free T3 should be within 3.0-4.2.
Suppose you are TRYING to get pregnant. But have hypothyroidism, autoimmune thyroiditis in the euthyroid stage, or hyperthyroidism. There are treatments.
The daily dose of iodine for women of childbearing age is 150 mcg and 250 mcg for women during pregnancy planning.
If your PREGNANT and your TSH concentration exceed 2.5 mIU/L, you could test for AT-TPO.
There are reports of spontaneous abortion, premature birth, or the development of respiratory failure in newborns, where doctors found higher AT-TPO values.
Depression:
Patients with hypothyroidism are predisposed to the development of depressive mood disorders and anxiety disorders. Depression is more severe in patients with low thyroid function.
When there are insufficient thyroid hormones, then the half-life of cortisol is lengthened. Cortisol then takes a bit longer to get out of your body. Read my article on the effect of cortisol on your brain.
Thyroxine-binding prealbumin: TSPA or transthyretin is a protein.
This protein plays an essential role in the transport and distribution of thyroid hormones in the central nervous system.
Sullivan G. et al. (1999) showed that the concentration of transthyretin in the cerebrospinal fluid is significantly lower in patients with depression than in healthy people.
This suggests depression associated with local hypothyroidism of the central nervous system.
There are millions of people who think their weight gain or depression is out of their control. But really they might just have a thyroid disorder.
Tomorrow I will post 3 case studies related to women with thyroid issues. Mine included.