QuestionHI.. in the beginning of July 08 i went to a reproductive specialist to see why i was not able to conceive on my own. she did blood work : TSH-7.73, FSH-52.3 IN JULY, it is now November and for the past 2months i did not get my period, and have been feeling ill. I am 38 years old when i went to the specialist i July she said i may be in peri-menopausal state and will be difficult to conceive and they will monitor everything then they will see when is the best time to try. well nothing worked and stopped seeing them in august. i have not gotten my period in Sept or Oct either. now i am sick ,i have hot flashes all day , and night sweats i don't sleep well, up all night tossing and turning and sweating. my heart races, i have no appetite and feel nausea. i went to my internist in Oct and he did blood work everything was fine but TSH - .191 (LOW) ? (JULY IT WAS HIGH) I GOT A COPY OF THE RESULTS AND wanted to go over it with him. i went 2 days ago and said my tsh is low, i am having hot flashes and night sweats, haven't slept in a month not hungry. he said i am changing your synthroid from .125 to 100 start it (today). i asked do U think it is peri menopause or menopause. he thinks my symptoms are thyroid related 80% and 20% menopausal if the thyroid gets better and i still have the same symptoms. BUT i forgot to ask if my tsh is low and fsh is high could that make me feel this sick. it is so bad.. i don't know what to do. i also have fullness in my left ear i am dizzy/lightheaded alot. my chest hurts , i dont want to keep going to the ER thinking its my heart or brain ? what do u think? can i conceive, are these symptoms from low thyroid or what doctor should i see for these symptoms when i did heart echo test mitro valve prolapse) stress test ok, chest xray- early changes COPD. why i am so sick?? i have to work and cant keep missing work. i tried the new dose of synthroid today .100 how long before i notice results?
sorry just been everywhere with not much to go on but the Internet.
milly, new york
AnswerHello Milly,
Despite your young age, your elevated FSH level in July showed that you were menopausal, and that is probably the primary reason for most of your symptoms. Your thyroid is definitely contributing to the symptoms too. However, from a reproductive point of view, your ovaries have shut down and you will not be able to become pregnant spontaneously or with IVF using you own eggs. Your only option will be to do Donor-IVF.
I would advise that you start on hormone replacement therapy. In your age group (young), I usually use a low dose birth control pill like "Lo Estrin Lo" or "Yaz". I think that once you get your hormones back into synch and get estrogen back on board, you are going to feel 100% better. Make sure to see a Gynecologist for that. Internists, and especially Endocrinologists, know nothing about women's hormones or hormone replacement. I'm having to fix that with my patients all the time.
Sincerely,
Edward J. Ramirez, M.D., FACOG
Executive Medical Director
The Fertility and Gynecology Center
Monterey Bay IVF Program
www.montereybayivf.com
Monterey, California, U.S.A.
