What Causes Post-menopausal Spotting When Suffering From Graves Disease?

Posted on Tue, 4 Nov 2014

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Tue, 4 Nov 2014 Answered on

Thu, 20 Nov 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : I have Graves Disease - had radio active treatment 20 years ago after the birth of my son, after I got a goitre, to kill thyroid. Now I am on 1.25 Synthroid. I am 53. I have been post -Menopausal (no period) for 3 years. Thyroid level from blood test 2 days ago is at 0.31 mU/L but...started spotting 3 days ago after intense workout for the first time since I stopped my period 3 years ago. Is there any way at all that this could be related to my Thyroid, Adrenal Glands etc? Ultrasound in 2 days - but I want to make sure I am informed about the Thyroid end of things.

Answered by Dr. Shehzad Topiwala (55 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Thyroid

Detailed Answer:
I understand what you are saying here. The TSH is a tad low. It is important to know the full thyroid profile ie free T4, CBC and CMP. If the free T4 is high then the most likely reason for this is that your Synthroid dose is a tad too much. When I see someone like this in my practice I lower the Synthroid from 125 to 112 mcg daily. Even if the free T4 is not high, I still do this on the basis of the low TSH. I understand you are not on any steroids like prednisone or opioid pain killers. These can lower the TSH. When thyroid function is off it can impact menstrual flow. However, as you have already planned, it is prudent to undergo a systematic evaluation for the spotting to make sure other potential causes are ruled out

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar