What Causes Thyroid Levels To Be High – If you’ve ever had a hormone or fertility test, you may be familiar with your thyroid-stimulating hormone (more commonly called TSH). Before you can understand exactly what TSH does, you need to understand your thyroid. Your thyroid gland is a small gland in the front of your neck that resembles a butterfly opening its wings. Think of your thyroid gland as an army general. It produces and controls the armies of hormones that go out into your body and control and regulate almost every organ. Your thyroid hormones affect your muscles, mood, weight, and more. Too much thyroid hormone can speed up your body’s organs and processes, while too little can slow it down. So our body has a way of regulating it.

Our body regulates the production of thyroid hormones by the pituitary gland, another gland located in our brain. This gland controls your thyroid gland by making TSH. TSH then regulates your thyroid gland, telling it how much hormone to make and release. If your thyroid hormone levels are too low, more TSH is made to tell your thyroid gland to make more hormones. On the contrary, if the levels are too high, less TSH is produced and therefore less thyroid hormone is produced.

What Causes Thyroid Levels To Be High

Your T3 and T4 hormones are hormones produced by your thyroid gland. As mentioned earlier, these hormones play an important role in regulating your body. Both T3 and T4 come in two forms, bound and free. Bound T3 and T4 are bound to proteins, while free T3 and T4 are not bound to anything. Typically, these hormones are tested along with TSH when testing for hypo- or hyperthyroidism. Doctors will test free T4 more often than total T4 because it is believed to be a more accurate representation, while total T3 tests are more common than free T3 tests.

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Your TSH levels are tested to see how your thyroid is functioning. The normal healthy range for TSH levels is 0.4-4.5 mIU/L and usually indicates a functioning thyroid gland. Results below 0.4 mIU/L are signs of an overactive thyroid gland, while results above 4.5 mIU/L are signs of an underactive thyroid gland. However, further diagnosis of hypo- or hyperthyroidism requires T3 and T4 tests.

Subclinical hypothyroidism (a milder form of hypothyroidism) may be indicated by TSH levels above 4.5 mIU/L with normal T4 levels. Subclinical hypothyroidism can progress to overt hypothyroidism and occurs in about 2-5% of cases per year. However, even with normal T4 levels, subclinical hypothyroidism is usually treated if your TSH levels are above 10 mIU/L or if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant. However, if you are neither of these cases, there is controversy about whether or not subclinical hypothyroidism needs treatment. It is important to talk to your doctor about elevated TSH levels or low T4 or T3 levels.

Overt hypothyroidism is the result of an underactive thyroid gland and means that your body does not produce enough thyroid hormones (T3 and T4). This causes your body’s functions to slow down. If left untreated, it can contribute to high cholesterol and, in rare situations, can lead to myxedema coma (when your body’s functions are severely slowed down) and can be life-threatening.

Overt hypothyroidism may be indicated by a TSH level above 4.5 mIU/L and a T4 level lower than normal. Hypothyroidism develops more often in women and those over 60 years of age. It is also more likely to develop in those with Turner syndrome, who have been pregnant in the past six months, who have a family history of thyroid disease, who have received radiation to the neck or chest, or who have previously struggled with a thyroid problem. It is important to treat hypothyroidism during pregnancy because it can affect both mother and child.

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Some signs of hypothyroidism include fatigue, muscle aches, thinning and dry hair, irregular periods, and more. Certain medications and additional tests are used to treat hypothyroidism.

Hyperthyroidism is the result of an overactive thyroid gland that produces excessive thyroid hormones (T3 and T4). It is present in 1 out of every 100 Americans and can lead to serious health problems such as stroke, osteoporosis, eye disease and more. Like hypothyroidism, there is subclinical and overt hyperthyroidism.

Subclinical hyperthyroidism is characterized by a TSH level below 0.4 mIU/L and normal T4 and T3 levels. People with subclinical hyperthyroidism usually do not have the same symptoms and signs as overt hyperthyroidism. They are also less likely to progress from subclinical to overt hyperthyroidism than those with subclinical hypothyroidism. It is important to talk to your doctor about low TSH or elevated T4 or T3 levels.

Overt hyperthyroidism is characterized by a TSH level below 0.1 mIU/L and elevated T4 or T3 levels. Hyperthyroidism is more common in women and those over 60 years of age. It may also be more likely if you consume large amounts of iodine, use nicotine, have a family history of thyroid disease, have other health problems, or have been pregnant in the past six months. Hyperthyroidism can be a problem during pregnancy if it becomes severe. Overt hyperthyroidism can be treated with drugs, surgery, or radioiodine therapy. If you are a thyroid warrior and have noticed your TSH rising… let’s investigate. I’ve had doctors tell my clients, “Your labs look great. See you next time,” but in reality their TSH has been steadily increasing over the last 2 years, from 1.5 to 1.7 and then to 3.5 (see graphic below for normal ranges). Could it be because he is working harder and not eating enough for the amount of energy he is expending? Does he still use household items that disrupt the endocrine system? Could her autoimmune disorder be causing the underlying inflammation that leads to the elevated reverse T3?

Signs And Symptoms Of Thyroid Issues You Need To Know

In this article, I help you understand what might happen when your TSH is elevated. Note that laboratory interpretation should be done by a healthcare professional. Contact your doctor, nurse or dietitian for further guidance.

TSH stands for Thyroid Stimulating Hormone and is actually produced by the pituitary gland in the brain. TSH stimulates the thyroid gland to produce T4 and T3. T4 is an inactive thyroid hormone and the body needs to convert it into the active form of T3.

Many people have labs in the normal range but still struggle with hypothyroid symptoms. Two oversights that can occur in lab review are not following trends, and the other is using companion labs to help interpret that lab.

Let’s consider why someone’s TSH can be elevated and why you may still have symptoms of hypothyroidism, even when the labs are within normal limits. If you notice an increase in your TSH and you’re not feeling well, still struggling to lose weight, have thinning hair, or other symptoms… it’s time to investigate what could be going on.

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1) TSH increased due to low T3 T3 is the active thyroid hormone. I like to think of it as the gas pedal in a car. If you want the car to go faster, you need more T3 and for that T3 to actually activate the T3 receptor site. When T3 is low in the blood, your pituitary gland will be activated to produce more TSH. Just because the lab is in the normal range doesn’t mean it’s normal.

A 40-year-old woman with a T3 of 2.3 pg/mL and an elevated TSH of 4.7 mLU/L. If you look back at the trend, the T3 was 3.5 pg/mL a year earlier. A TSH of 4.7 is only mildly elevated, but elevated enough to have symptoms of weight gain, thinning hair, exhaustion, anxiety, and digestive problems. Although both labs are not that far out of range, people feel the difference. Now we need to understand WHY this is happening.

TSH begins to rise in response to low T3. The body is smart. It’s like, “man, I’m not getting what I need…please send me more TSH so my thyroid friend can produce more of the hormones we need”

A lack of tools (aka nutrients) can cause disturbances in the creation or synthesis of hormones. Some nutrients have already been discussed before, such as iron deficiency or anemia resulting in lower conversion of T4 to T3.

How To Interpret Thyroid Function Tests

Selenium is another nutrient that is needed for a number of reasons. Selenium is an essential trace mineral that must be obtained through the diet. It is involved in more than two dozen processes in the body, many of which are immune system and thyroid health. The concentration of selenium is higher in the thyroid gland than in any other organ in the body (5). Selenium is a powerful antioxidant and has been shown to help reduce TPO antibodies. If your body is attacking its own thyroid gland, don’t you think it would have a hard time making the proper hormones?

There are so many tools that can help metabolize healthy thyroid hormones. For a complete understanding of thyroid foods and tools, check out my book, The Guide to a Healthy Thyroid, for additional guidance.

See the graphic below for thyroid-supporting nutrients and some foods that contain these important nutrients. Consult your doctor or dietitian before starting a new health regimen.

3) TSH increased due to problems with the pituitary gland. A small group of people

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