Hi folks,

quick question.  I got my TSH level back and it is 4.6 which seems very high.  I went to my GP and she said this is fine but a friend of mine said it should be between 1-2 when ttc.  Anyone have any idea?  Hope you are all well.  Starting 2nd cycle of Clomid tomorrow.  I've never been so emotional in my life.  Just wanted to burst into tears all last week.  Feel much better now though.  Not sure if it's the Clomid or am I just going mad!

Take care,

Seana

Hi Seana - I'm very late in replying to your question about TSH but it is one about which there is a fair bit of debate so the answer will vary depending on who you ask!  Generally speaking, I think they say that the normal range for TSH is 0.35 - 4.94 so your reading would come within the normal range there. But there is another train of thought that suggests that TSH ought to be below 2 during infertility treatment, if not during TTC in general.  I believe that the theory behind this (although I could be wrong) is that the thyroid takes quite a battering from fertility medication. It could show up as functioning well on a natural cycle but then be affected while on fertility meds. That is my understanding of why some doctors (by no means all) prefer women to have a reading of below 2.

This happened to me.  I had some tests done for auto immune conditions (having had loads of fertility treatment with unexplained failures) and among other things, I showed up with anti-thyroid antibodies.  My TSH was checked again and was around the 4 mark, so I was put on Eltroxin, a medication to combat hypothyroidism, to get my levels down. Once the TSH reading was below 2, I started on another IVF cycle.

Don't know if that helps at all ... and sorry to hear you are finding the Clomid so hard to take. Did I see on another thread that you have come off it?  It affects some people that way - sorry to see that you are one of them!  Good luck to you.

Hi Molly,

Have you had IVF with PGD done? This is one thing docs here in the USA do for autoimmune disorders.

As to the TSH levels, here in the USA 4.6 would not be a problem to have IVF done. Actually, on another forum a girl is prego with twins now. She had mentioned that her TSH was between 3.8-4.6 she has been having fertility work ups for 3 years, few IUI's, and then went for IVF. The result for her is double joy, and she does have couple of snow-beans as well. In the USA TSH below 5 is considered normal.