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Oral contraceptives (0,035 estradiol) and high TSH levels. Help
Hello!
My TSH levels have always been around 1, and now they're 3.80 after a year of taking Diane 35! (my ovaries produce too much testosterone and that's why I had been taking it). I've read that estradiol does influence TSH levels. Ok, what's done stays done. I'm not taking Diane anymore, I'm actually going to take an oral contraceptive with only 0,020 estradiol, because 0,035 was a bit too much. My queston is: will my TSH go back to normal since I won't be taking that much estrogen again? Can TSH be lowered? I want my TSH back! I don't want hypothyroidism! The effects of Diane's estrogens do go away after some time, I mean, if you're not taking 0,035 estradiol again but lower, the estrogen in your body will be slightly lower so I guess it shouldn't influence my thyroid that much anymore?
My TSH levels have always been around 1, and now they're 3.80 after a year of taking Diane 35! (my ovaries produce too much testosterone and that's why I had been taking it). I've read that estradiol does influence TSH levels. Ok, what's done stays done. I'm not taking Diane anymore, I'm actually going to take an oral contraceptive with only 0,020 estradiol, because 0,035 was a bit too much. My queston is: will my TSH go back to normal since I won't be taking that much estrogen again? Can TSH be lowered? I want my TSH back! I don't want hypothyroidism! The effects of Diane's estrogens do go away after some time, I mean, if you're not taking 0,035 estradiol again but lower, the estrogen in your body will be slightly lower so I guess it shouldn't influence my thyroid that much anymore?
COMMUNITY LEADER
I'm sorry I seem to have misunderstood your original post...since you specifically said "I don't want hypothyroidism", it seemed that you were concerned about becoming hypothyroid and I simply pointed out that TSH is not a good indicator of being hypo, because it's affected by so many variables and fluctuates greatly over the course of a day; then I pointed out other things you might have checked that would be better indicators and help rule out thyroid issues. Obviously, you're not concerned about becoming hypo, after all.
Just because your thyroid has always been "amazing", doesn't mean it will stay that way forever; mine used to work perfectly, as well, now I'm completely dependent on replacement thyroid hormones. I was merely pointing out things that might help determine whether you might be prone to hypo.
I'm sure my answer wasn't what you were looking for, because nobody wants to think they might have a thyroid issue. Other than that, I answered your original question in the first sentence of my previous post.
Since I don't know for a fact that the Diane 35 is what caused your TSH to go up, there's no way to know whether it will come back to normal after stopping it, or lowering the dose.
By the way, I'm sure your lab report lists a reference range for TSH at somewhere around 0.50-4.50... just for your info, about 10 yrs ago AACE recommended that the range for TSH be changed to 0.3-3.0, so 3.0 is the upper limit. People higher than that are considered to be hypo, if their FT3/FT4 levels are low in the ranges.
Just because your thyroid has always been "amazing", doesn't mean it will stay that way forever; mine used to work perfectly, as well, now I'm completely dependent on replacement thyroid hormones. I was merely pointing out things that might help determine whether you might be prone to hypo.
I'm sure my answer wasn't what you were looking for, because nobody wants to think they might have a thyroid issue. Other than that, I answered your original question in the first sentence of my previous post.
Since I don't know for a fact that the Diane 35 is what caused your TSH to go up, there's no way to know whether it will come back to normal after stopping it, or lowering the dose.
By the way, I'm sure your lab report lists a reference range for TSH at somewhere around 0.50-4.50... just for your info, about 10 yrs ago AACE recommended that the range for TSH be changed to 0.3-3.0, so 3.0 is the upper limit. People higher than that are considered to be hypo, if their FT3/FT4 levels are low in the ranges.
Thank you, but that wasn’t the answer I was looking for. I don’t have any thyroid disease and it has always functioned correctly. I have done ultrasounds and my thyroid is AMAZING every time.
Trust my word, Diane 35 made my TSH higher than before taking it!!!!! My Free T4 is 1.20 now ...because you wanted to know...
It’s also known that estrogen dominance does that to TSH and whatever other things you said there. It makes TSH higher and can lead to hypo. And this happened to me! SO will it go back to normal if I stop taking Diane? I’m concerned Diane changed my metabolism forever, but I also like to think that the effects of estrogen dominance in your body do go away if you stop flooding it with estrogens, which I will do. So I hope my TSH and Free T4 and everything will go back to normal now that I stopped taking it. It wasn’t good for me anyways.
Keep in mind, 3-4 TSH is still kinda normal, but it has always been around 1 before taking Diane. I had always had a very fast metabolism….but this oral contraceptive ruins everything.
Trust my word, Diane 35 made my TSH higher than before taking it!!!!! My Free T4 is 1.20 now ...because you wanted to know...
It’s also known that estrogen dominance does that to TSH and whatever other things you said there. It makes TSH higher and can lead to hypo. And this happened to me! SO will it go back to normal if I stop taking Diane? I’m concerned Diane changed my metabolism forever, but I also like to think that the effects of estrogen dominance in your body do go away if you stop flooding it with estrogens, which I will do. So I hope my TSH and Free T4 and everything will go back to normal now that I stopped taking it. It wasn’t good for me anyways.
Keep in mind, 3-4 TSH is still kinda normal, but it has always been around 1 before taking Diane. I had always had a very fast metabolism….but this oral contraceptive ruins everything.
COMMUNITY LEADER
TSH fluctuates widely, even intraday and there are a number of things that influence it, not just the estrogen.
TSH is a pituitary hormone and is not a good indicator of hypothyroidism, even though that's , typically, the only thing doctors test - that's what they learned in med school.
Far more important are Free T3 and Free T4. T4 is the main thyroid hormone, though the thyroid also makes a small amount of T3. Of the total T4 in your blood, some will be bound by protein, and unavailable. You need to know the portion that's "free", thus the Free T4 test. Free T4 can't be used directly by the cells; it must be converted to T3, which is the active hormone used by the individual cells. Like T4, some of the T3 will be bound by protein, and unavailable for use; also like T4, you need to know the portion that's "free" for use, so you get the Free T3 test.
Along with the FT3 and FT4, it would be good to get thyroid antibodies tested to determine whether you have Hashimoto's, which is an autoimmune disease, in which the body sees the thyroid as foreign and produces antibodies to destroy it. Hashimoto's is the most common cause of hypothyroidism in the developed world. The 2 tests you need are Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPOab) and Thyroglobulin Antibodies (TgAB). You need them both to confirm or rule out Hashimoto's.
It would also be good to get a thyroid ultrasound to determine if your thyroid is swollen/inflamed, or has nodules, both of which are common with Hashimoto's.
Hashimoto's is progressive, in that the antibodies continually destroy healthy thyroid tissue, so the thyroid makes less and less hormones, until eventually, it will produce none.
If you have Hashimoto's, at some point, you will have to begin taking thyroid hormone replacement, of which there are different types, and eventually, you will be completely dependent on the replacement hormones. Some of us on the forum have reached that status.
TSH is a pituitary hormone and is not a good indicator of hypothyroidism, even though that's , typically, the only thing doctors test - that's what they learned in med school.
Far more important are Free T3 and Free T4. T4 is the main thyroid hormone, though the thyroid also makes a small amount of T3. Of the total T4 in your blood, some will be bound by protein, and unavailable. You need to know the portion that's "free", thus the Free T4 test. Free T4 can't be used directly by the cells; it must be converted to T3, which is the active hormone used by the individual cells. Like T4, some of the T3 will be bound by protein, and unavailable for use; also like T4, you need to know the portion that's "free" for use, so you get the Free T3 test.
Along with the FT3 and FT4, it would be good to get thyroid antibodies tested to determine whether you have Hashimoto's, which is an autoimmune disease, in which the body sees the thyroid as foreign and produces antibodies to destroy it. Hashimoto's is the most common cause of hypothyroidism in the developed world. The 2 tests you need are Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPOab) and Thyroglobulin Antibodies (TgAB). You need them both to confirm or rule out Hashimoto's.
It would also be good to get a thyroid ultrasound to determine if your thyroid is swollen/inflamed, or has nodules, both of which are common with Hashimoto's.
Hashimoto's is progressive, in that the antibodies continually destroy healthy thyroid tissue, so the thyroid makes less and less hormones, until eventually, it will produce none.
If you have Hashimoto's, at some point, you will have to begin taking thyroid hormone replacement, of which there are different types, and eventually, you will be completely dependent on the replacement hormones. Some of us on the forum have reached that status.
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