What the heck is TSH?

Thyroid Gland, Thyroid Hormone & TSH

TSH, or Thyroid Stimulating Hormone, is the hormone that controls the release of your thyroid hormone by your thyroid gland.  According to WebMD, “The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in the front of your neck.  It makes hormones that control the way your body uses energy”.  You can do all sorts of research as to how TSH relates to the thyroid gland/hormone but I think Dr. B explained it best.  He stated simply “TSH is the jockey to your thyroid horse”.  If the amount of thyroid hormone is your body is low, TSH will increase which stimulates your thyroid gland to produce more thyroid hormone.  A high TSH/low thyroid hormone combination is a condition called hypothyroidism which means your body doesn’t produce enough thyroid hormone.  Conversely, there’s also a condition called hyperthyroidism where your thyroid gland produces too much thyroid hormone.  I haven’t done much research on hyperthyroidism as my TSH has always tested on the upper end of normal (borderline/subclinical hypothyroidism).

Hypothyroidism

There’s a wide range of hypothyroidism symptoms including: feeling tired, weak or depressed, dry skin & brittle nails, not being able to stand the cold, constipation, memory problems or having trouble thinking clearly, and heavy or irregular menstrual periods.  As I researched hypothyroidism more, the symptoms actually made me laugh…aren’t these the same symptoms you see for about a million other diseases, syndromes,  ailments and illnesses folks can be diagnosed with these days?!  Hypothyroidism is treated with thyroid replacement hormone medication; regular blood tests are run to ensure TSH lies within the normal range of 0.5 to 4.5/5.0 (standard U.S. laboratory reference range) or 0.3 to 3.0 (standard range per the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists).

My TSH Tests & Results
Sept. '09 - 5.23
Jul. '10 - 7.15
Aug. '10 - 4.54
Feb. '11 - 3.55
Jul. '11 - 4.77
Sept. '11 - ??

Why treat if the results are close to 'normal'?
Dr. K's decision to prescribe a synthetic thyroid hormone wasn't based on the symptoms listed above...it was based on my lab results from the previous 2 years.  During our initial appointment, she explained that there have been extensive studies showing that an elevated TSH during pregnancy can lead to a lower IQ in the mother's offspring.  Dr. K's standard procedure is to treat her patients down to a pre-conception TSH level of 2.25 (TSH level while pregnant differs).  Because my TSH was 3.55 at the lowest point and 7.15 at the highest, Dr. K decided to treat immediately, test again in 6 weeks and regulate the medication from there.