Hi Doctor, My Wife Had Her Last Periods On Nov

Posted on Mon, 14 Jan 2019

Question: Hi Doctor, My wife had her last periods on Nov 25th. Usually it's 28 days cycle she has. She took the pregnancy test on Dec 27th and it said positive. Yesterday we consulted a doctor nearby and they took her blood test. Today the report came and doctor said my wife has hyper thyroid. It should normally be 2 but she has 7. Hence, recommended to take a tablet called Thyronorm - 50mg daily in the morning before breakfast and asked to come after 10 days for the scan. I was checking online and got to know the tablet Thyronorm is used for Hypothyroidism and not for Hyperthyroidism. The doctor I consulted is not available for next 2-3 days and I am not able to contact her. Should I ask my wife to continue Thyronorm or should consult another doctor. Please suggest what to do. I'm worried as she had one obortion a year ago. I want to be very careful this time.

Answered by Dr. Dr. Yogesh D (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Upload the report, if the value of 7 is for TSH then it is hypo not hyper.

Detailed Answer:
Hello Mr. XXXXXXX

Welcome to Ask a Doctor Service,

I have read your query carefully and understand your concern.

Please upload the report so that I can be absolutely sure of what is going on.

Thyronorm is prescribed for hypothyroidism as you rightly said, and your doctor has prescribed it after seeing the report, but your doctor seems to have made a mistake while telling you the diagnosis.

If the value of 7 is for TSH, and T4 and T3 levels are normal, then it is considered as subclinical "HYPOTHYROIDISM".

If 7 is the value for T3, and TSH is low, while T4 maybe normal or low, then it indicates "HYPERTHYROIDISM".

I need to see the report to be certain of what is going on.

Please upload the complete report so that I can solve your query.

Best regards.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Yogesh D

Follow up: Dr. Dr. Yogesh D (1 hour later)

May be. Either doctor said it wrong or I might have got confused. I'm attaching a copy of the report here. Please suggest. Also, how bad is this Hypothyroidism? What precautions should I take to make sure both my wife and baby is healthy?

Answered by Dr. Dr. Yogesh D (33 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Report is of TSH, upto 5.5 is normal, your wife's is high.

Detailed Answer:
Hello again Mr. XXXXXXX

Welcome back,

The doctor has only done TSH level, along with that T3 and T4 levels should have been done.

Elevated TSH is almost always due to "Hypothyroidism".

TSH is elevated because there is actually low T3 and T4, and T3 and T4 are the thyroid hormones which are low and that is why it is hypothyroidism.

You can continue the thyronorm tablet, but there is no need to take 50 micrograms if T3 and T4 levels are within normal limits, 25 micrograms would be enough, for that you need to check T3 and T4 levels.

I hope that answers your query.

Best regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Yogesh D

Follow up: Dr. Dr. Yogesh D (16 minutes later)

Your analysis are very helpful. Thanks a lot. This explains the doubt I had abt hypothyroidism. One last question would be, Do I need to worry about this Hypothyroidism? How bad is this situation please.

Answered by Dr. Dr. Yogesh D (20 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
It is essential to maintain normal thyroid function

Detailed Answer:
Hello again Mr XXXXXXX

Thank you for the follow-up.

Particularly during pregnancy, it is extremely important to maintain normal thyroid hormone levels as the growing baby also needs normal thyroid hormone levels for proper growth.

This hypothyroidism may improve after pregnancy, but most likely will persist for life and your wife will need to take the supplements for life time.

That is, she will need to take the thyronorm tablets daily throughout her life.

It does not cause any major problem if she maintains her thyroid hormone levels (T3 and T4 levels) within normal range.

Without knowing the current T3 and T4 levels I can not comment how bad the situation is right now.

The underlying problem is most likely an autoimmune destruction of the thyroid gland, please consult an endocrinologist and see if your wife has autoimmune thyroiditis which can be controlled with medication.

I hope this clarifies your queries further.

Best wishes.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Yogesh D