Sun, Mar-24-02, 00:31
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Forum Founder
Posts: 37,233
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Plan: LC, GF
Stats: 241/188/140
BF:
Progress: 52%
Location: Eastern ON, Canada
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hi a/c,
The TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) is an indirect, but generally accurate measure of thyroid function. TSH is produced in the pituitary gland ... and as the name implies, its job is to stimulate the thyroid gland to produce the thyroid hormones. If your body isn't getting enough thyroid hormone, the pituitary will secrete more TSH to nudge the thyroid gland into action. Thus a higher TSH level means low thyroid function. Conversely, a very low TSH suggests over-active thyroid.
There's some suggestion that for women, a TSH of 2 or lower is more desirable, and higher than that may be an indicator of low thyroid function, especially if there are hypothyroid symptoms such as low body temp, dry skin, thinning hair, slow pulse rate, fatigue, difficulty losing weight, high cholesterol etc.
Measuring the free T4 and T3 thyroid hormone levels along with the TSH will give a more accurate picture than just the TSH alone. If you have symptoms but the dr. won't prescribe treatment based on the "normal" TSH result, it would be worth having the other tests done.
Doreen
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