TSH level 3.7, any idea what does this mean ?

[shivangi1210]

Hi Ladies,

So i had my first blood test done yesterday and got the report today.
TSH level came out to be 3.7miu/ml . As per the nurse its quite high for a pregnant women.
I tried to search over the internet but was not able to find enough information.
How will this affect my baby ?
is there any chance of miscarriage with this TSH level ?
I read somewhere that high TSH level affect baby's IQ. Is this true
I'm 4w+4 days todays as per my calculation and 5w+2d as per my doctors calculation.

Any inputs..

 

[NDH]

Have they given you thyroid medication? (there is medication for hypothyroid that is pregnancy safe)
The current range for normal thyroid levels is .3-3.0. Anything above 3 is considered hypothyroid, but many drs like to see TSH between 1 and 2 for pregnant women.

 

[CelticNiamh]

Hi try not to panic it will be ok! I had my thyroid checked and it was around the same level I was prescribed eltroxin tablets 1 a day they will keep me on it probably till baby arrives or 20 weeks I am not sure yet! as at 20 weeks babies thyroid begins to function and they do not need any more thyroid hormones from us

when do you see your doctor or are back in hospital! they will likely do the same for you

it is hypothyroidism when TSH levels are above normal

 

[CelticNiamh]

TSH levels would need to be in 10 so high numbers to effect baby brain at this point the yolk sac and corpus luteum so baby is perfectly fine, it is at 10 weeks when placenta takes over looking after baby that you may start to feel very tired and sick as our bodies give baby what he or she needs and we get the left overs so you have found it quite early so that is good and once you get the tablets baby will have everything he or she needs to develop

hope that helps ease your concern, I did a lot of goggling when I first found out

 

[shivangi1210]

Thank you so much ladies.
I can't tell you how relieved i'm

Lots of love

 

[shivangi1210]

I mailed all the reports to my doctor and she has not prescribed me any medicine yet.
I'll have one more blood test. Gap between 2 blood test will be 72 hrs.
in next blood test they will check for tsh, t3 and t4 level.
I was wondering, will tsh levels change after 72 hrs and what is this t3 and t4 tests?

 

[NDH]

t3 and t4 are two hormones that are produced by the thyroid (t1 and t2 are two others but they aren't checked as not much is known about what exactly those two do or what levels are normal)
measuring whether one or both of them are high or low in conjunction with high TSH levels will give them a better idea of what kind of medication you should be on and the dose.

 

[shivangi1210]

Thanks for the info.
My doctor mailed me that they will check TSH again with T3 and T4, and then they will decide whether to give me medicine or not.
So that part is confusing me.
I have high TSH, so i think they should give me medicine anyway.

 

[Sandy76]

You should not be worried. Fetus will survive with maternal hypothyroidism if that doesn't last too long. Anyway hypothyroidism does not necessarily hurt the baby's health but increases the risk for brain-related dysfunctions. Most of the babies born to untreated mothers are just fine.

TSH should not be over 2,0 while pregnant. Of course T4 ja T3 levels count, too. Blood levels and symptoms of hypothyroidism should be closely monitored the whole pregnancy.

 

[Sandy76]

Addition to the previous post:

TSH should not rise over 2,0 while pregnant, so I think you should get medication and TSH and at least T4 levels should be monitored about once a month to make sure you get enough medication.

 

[Peanutt]

I mailed all the reports to my doctor and she has not prescribed me any medicine yet.
I'll have one more blood test. Gap between 2 blood test will be 72 hrs.
in next blood test they will check for tsh, t3 and t4 level.
I was wondering, will tsh levels change after 72 hrs and what is this t3 and t4 tests?

T3 and t4 tests will be more sensitive and tell them if your thyroid really isn't functioning well. It's possible to have elevated TSH and normal levels of t3 and t4.
3.7, depending on the lab, would be the high side of normal. So they are going to check your t3 and t4 to see if you need medication. If that is normal, then you won't need anything but they may want to keep a close eye on it.

 

[Sandy76]

There are studies that show TSH over 2,5 is not normal even in non-pregnant people. TSH range has been biased for years and most of the healthy individuals have TSH around 1. In pregnant women, TSH tends to get to the lower end for physiological reasons. Endocrinologists think that TSH should not be over 2,0 while pregnant. Of course T4 and T3 matter as well. It's best that they are on the high end of the range. Hypothyroidism is common condition amongst women and pregnancy is something that increases the risk for getting it. One could also have a little bit underactive thyroid in the first place, and pregnancy manifestates it because it puts more requirements for the thyroid function.

 

[lau86]

There are studies that show TSH over 2,5 is not normal even in non-pregnant people. TSH range has been biased for years and most of the healthy individuals have TSH around 1. In pregnant women, TSH tends to get to the lower end for physiological reasons. Endocrinologists think that TSH should not be over 2,0 while pregnant. Of course T4 and T3 matter as well. It's best that they are on the high end of the range. Hypothyroidism is common condition amongst women and pregnancy is something that increases the risk for getting it. One could also have a little bit underactive thyroid in the first place, and pregnancy manifestates it because it puts more requirements for the thyroid function.

This is my third pregnancy with hypothyroid, I don't know what tsh levels were then but my tsh is now 5.3 or something, it was 5.7 at 6 weeks but my t4 is normal. I had no idea a high tsh was a problem, I've not seen the obstetrician yet but no one here seems bothered about my levels. Do you know why the raised tsh is bad? Can it cause baby thyroid problems?

 

[shivangi1210]

There are studies that show TSH over 2,5 is not normal even in non-pregnant people. TSH range has been biased for years and most of the healthy individuals have TSH around 1. In pregnant women, TSH tends to get to the lower end for physiological reasons. Endocrinologists think that TSH should not be over 2,0 while pregnant. Of course T4 and T3 matter as well. It's best that they are on the high end of the range. Hypothyroidism is common condition amongst women and pregnancy is something that increases the risk for getting it. One could also have a little bit underactive thyroid in the first place, and pregnancy manifestates it because it puts more requirements for the thyroid function.

This is my third pregnancy with hypothyroid, I don't know what tsh levels were then but my tsh is now 5.3 or something, it was 5.7 at 6 weeks but my t4 is normal. I had no idea a high tsh was a problem, I've not seen the obstetrician yet but no one here seems bothered about my levels. Do you know why the raised tsh is bad? Can it cause baby thyroid problems?

hi dear,

I'm also not aware of thyroid things, but the info I have gathered from internet says, that its actually t3 and t4 that actually counts not tsh.
if your t3 and t4 are normal then no need to worry.
correct me ladirs if I'm wrong.

 

[Sandy76]

T4 and T3, which are the actual thyroid hormone levels, are not very specific. Reference range is very wide and it's hard to say which level inside the range is the right one for the individual. Lab tests in the reference range don't prove normal thyroid function. Usually, TSH is indirect marker for being hypothyroid. If one's body is suffering from hypothyroidism, one's pituitary gland in the brain starts to produce more TSH. Sometimes, if there's something wrong with the pituitary gland or the whole hormonal loop system, it fails to raise TSH even though there's too few thyroid hormones in the body. So TSH is not perfect lab test to measure it, but maybe the best there is available. Mostly, TSH levels follow the state of hypothyroidism.

Anyhow, when hypothyroidism is treated even without pregnancy, TSH target value is between 1-2 according to many endocrinologists. TSH can go even lower if there's no hyperthyroidism symptoms involved. Official TSH recommendation for the first trimester is to get it below 2,5.

Lau86: Your TSH over 5 is definitely hypothyroid and should be treated better! The problem with maternal hypothyroidism usually is that fetus needs maternal thyroid hormones for the brain functions to develop especially in the first trimester. Even though it's risky, most of the babies will be fine. So you shouldn't worry that too much. Placenta has good compensation methods in producing active hormones from maternal T4, so usually everything goes well. There's just an statistically increased risk for neurological defects in the child affecting school success or speech or that kind of things. Another issue with maternal hypothyroidism is that there can be increase in pregnancy complications in late pregnancy such as difficulties in baby's position or abnormal contractions, prolonged labor etc. Of course having hypothyroid symptoms is also hard for a pregnant mom. Fatigue can be totally devastating.

 

[shivangi1210]

Got my second blood test, tsh is 4.18, free t3 is 2.55pg/ml and free t4 is 1.06ng/dl.
Any opinions ?
hcg was 1064 and 72 hrs later its now 3400.

 

[shivangi1210]

One more thing earlier my progrestron level was 24 and after 72 hrs it is now 21.
is it fine ??

 

[shivangi1210]

Bump

 

[Peanutt]

My doc likes to see progesterone above 12.

 

[lau86]

Got my second blood test, tsh is 4.18, free t3 is 2.55pg/ml and free t4 is 1.06ng/dl.
Any opinions ?
hcg was 1064 and 72 hrs later its now 3400.

I assume your reference ranges are different to mine as my t4 is 15 or similar?