Hypothyroidism fixing itself?

[sarah1989]

I was diagnosed in March 2010, and again in May 2010 by another doctor with hypothyroidism. I was started on Levothyroxine (Synthroid) in May 2010. I took this medicine until October 2010, but stopped to take a more natural approach to the disease.

I am currently not under any doctor's care, and have had other things to deal with lately, so I haven't been very diligent when it comes to a more natural diet and herbal medication to help with the problem. Since I have stopped the natural vitamins etc.. I have been drinking about 2L of water a day, more than I was before.

My last couple periods have been:
06/27/10 - while on Levothyroxine
09/15/10 - while on Levothyroxine
04/14/11 - after stopping prescribed medication
04/04/11 - after stopping prescribed medication & natural supplements

As you can see my periods have quite a gap in between dates. The first cycle was after an absence of nearly 10 months. While on the medication a 3 month gap, and then 7 month gap, and now suddenly 51 days.

I am just wondering if it is possible for my body to be correcting the problem itself, or is it just a fluke that my periods seem to be coming back again?

Has anyone else gone through this and noticed it continues to get more regular?

Thanks for any insight!
Sarah xx

 

[aimee-lou]

I honestly don't know. I have hypothyroidism - and I'm on 125mcg of Levothyroxine a day - diagnosed last March (2010). My Mum has the same and is on 100mcg and has been for the best part of 20 years.

Are you having any other symptoms for a thyroid disorder? Hair loss, weight loss/gain, depression, paranoia, trouble dealing with temperature changes, vertigo? Anything like that could be a thyroid related symptom.

Personally, I would go and get another blood test for your thyroid function - t4 and tsh to show the full function and not just your overall levels. It can be a really dangerous thing if you don't get it sorted - long term health especially. You don't have to then go through the levo again if you don't want to, you can tackle it through diet, but at least you would then know what your situation is.

With periods I was on the pill up until January and now my levo levels are normal so my periods are settled somewhere around the 30-35 days mark. Hoping that this mean I'm OVing too. Thyroid problems can cause periods to be irregular, so it could be it's levelling off. Good luck and I hope things settle down for you.

 

[sarah1989]

I honestly don't know. I have hypothyroidism - and I'm on 125mcg of Levothyroxine a day - diagnosed last March (2010). My Mum has the same and is on 100mcg and has been for the best part of 20 years.

Are you having any other symptoms for a thyroid disorder? Hair loss, weight loss/gain, depression, paranoia, trouble dealing with temperature changes, vertigo? Anything like that could be a thyroid related symptom.

Personally, I would go and get another blood test for your thyroid function - t4 and tsh to show the full function and not just your overall levels. It can be a really dangerous thing if you don't get it sorted - long term health especially. You don't have to then go through the levo again if you don't want to, you can tackle it through diet, but at least you would then know what your situation is.

With periods I was on the pill up until January and now my levo levels are normal so my periods are settled somewhere around the 30-35 days mark. Hoping that this mean I'm OVing too. Thyroid problems can cause periods to be irregular, so it could be it's levelling off. Good luck and I hope things settle down for you.

Hey Hun,

Thanks for replying!

I was put onto Levothyroxine 25mcg in June; So not quite as strong of a dose as you.

The only other symptoms I have had are weight gain (I started losing weight once on the medication though) & the fact I am always either very hot, or very cold. I don't seem to be able to find a happy medium. The temperature changing with the weather I do not seem to have a problem with. I had depression in my teens, but haven't had a problem with it since my diagnosis.

I had very irregular periods before getting diagnosed. Since I got mine in my early teens, I had always been regular and in the last 3 to 4 years is when it started to become irregular. Absent for 6-10 months at a time unfortunately. I guess the best thing to do is get a test done again to see if it is any better than the last time I had my levels tested.

Thanks Again!

 

[SuzieRio]

Hi Sarah, it depends on the initial cause of the hypothyroidism as to whether the body can return to normal or not.

Unfortunately the docs don't do enough tests to determine the cause (unless it is Hashimotos) they just wait for your TSH to get to a certain level (UK is 10) and then prescribe, which is a shame in some cases as there could be a cause/driver which then addressed can cure it.

If you had the autoimmune version Hashimotos then it is very unlikely to reverse.
However other drivers of hypothyroidism include:
- iodine deficiency
- selenium deficiency (inhibits the conversion of T4 to T3 the active form)
- Inflammation (suppresses the production of thyroid hormone and decreases the number of sensitive receptors on your cells)
- Adrenal Fatigue/Stress (inhibits the conversion of T4 to T3 and is one of the biggest drivers, also when adrenaline is high, T4 levels drop to help the body protect the cardiovascular system)

25mcg is a small amount, do you know what your TSH was on your blood test at the time?

 

[sarah1989]

Hi Sarah, it depends on the initial cause of the hypothyroidism as to whether the body can return to normal or not.

Unfortunately the docs don't do enough tests to determine the cause (unless it is Hashimotos) they just wait for your TSH to get to a certain level (UK is 10) and then prescribe, which is a shame in some cases as there could be a cause/driver which then addressed can cure it.

If you had the autoimmune version Hashimotos then it is very unlikely to reverse.
However other drivers of hypothyroidism include:
- iodine deficiency
- selenium deficiency (inhibits the conversion of T4 to T3 the active form)
- Inflammation (suppresses the production of thyroid hormone and decreases the number of sensitive receptors on your cells)
- Adrenal Fatigue/Stress (inhibits the conversion of T4 to T3 and is one of the biggest drivers, also when adrenaline is high, T4 levels drop to help the body protect the cardiovascular system)

25mcg is a small amount, do you know what your TSH was on your blood test at the time?

Hi SuzieRio,

I am not sure the initial cause. I originally went to the doctors because my periods completely disappeared. I was then told I had secondary amenorrhea, and more tests were done to determine why. The doctor called and said I had hypothyroidism and that my levels were lower than he had ever seen before I asked him what causes levels to drop like that, as I had not ever had any issues before. His response was we cannot tell what actually causes a thyroid to stop working properly (clearly my doctor is not the brightest!)

He wouldn't tell me what the actual TSH level was when they tested my blood.

 

[FuzzyCaz]

The doctor called and said I had hypothyroidism and that my levels were lower than he had ever seen before I asked him what causes levels to drop like that, as I had not ever had any issues before. His response was we cannot tell what actually causes a thyroid to stop working properly (clearly my doctor is not the brightest!)

He wouldn't tell me what the actual TSH level was when they tested my blood.

Low levels is odd....typically when you are hypO, your TSH levels are too HIGH. And vice versa, eg when hypER, TSH is too low. But maybe he was referring to your FT3/FT4 levels?

Have to say, its not really fair to say that he's not the brightest, more often than not, its simply not possible to identify the initial cause of why thyroid disease can come on suddenly.

I was hypER for years, with Grave's Disease, and had a total thyroidectomy one year ago, so now I'm technically hypO.

My advice would to definitely get another blood test done, that will be as good an indicator as any as to whether your thyroid levels have gone euthroid on their own, since you stopped the meds. And I'd suggest making sure to get copies of your blood results from now on too. Ask him if he'll give you a copy of the first test too. It helps to learn how to read them, and understand what they are telling you. Being your own health advocate, when dealing with thyroid disease, is a huge step in the right direction.

Cycles-wise...can indeed be a indicator that is going well/bad with the thyroid, but not to be relied upon. I've been euthroid for the last 9 months (ie levels pretty much perfect & stable, symptoms minimal or non-existent) and whilst my cycles settled for a few months to a regular 28-days, they're still, on the whole, a bit crazy.

Best of luck, and hope you can stay off the meds