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Birth Control and thyroid levels - please help

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Thyroid Disorders
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Posted 10/12/2012 6:10 PM (GMT -8)
Hello, everyone. To make a long story short, I have been having a sensation of having a lump in my throat for the past year. I went to an ENT and was diagnosed with LPR (a form of acid reflux) I wasn't getting better with the meds so I went to a new doc and she tested my thyroid levels. Here are my levels:

Thyroxine (T4) Free, Direct, S - 1.25 (normal)
Reverse T3, Serum - 43.4 (HIGH - normal level 13.5 to 34.2)
Thyroxine (T4) - 15.8 (HIGH - normal level 4.5 to 12)
T3 Uptake - 20 (LOW - normal levels 24 - 39)
Thyroid Peroxidase - 7 (normal)
Antithyroglobulin AB <20 - normal
Triiodothyronine, Free Serum 2.6 (normal)
TSH 3.770 (normal)

My doctor first said my T4 might be high because of Birth Control pills. I've been on Yasmin for about 4 years. I am taking them to regulate my hormones, for menstrual regulation, and PMS. Not for actual birth control... Has anyone had experience with BC pills affecting your thyroid?

She did the other tests to get a more accurate picture and now says that she thinks I might have a nodule on my thyroid and i need a sonogram. I am FREAKING out that I have cancer. I always jump to the worst possible conclusion. Can anyone offer any advice or has anyone had a similar experience?

I have been on weight watchers for a few months and have been losing weight but now i'm not sure if i'm losing because of my diet or because of my crazy thyroid... i've also had heart palpitations, my pulse has always been high (90+), hair loss, stress, etc. So i have all of the symptoms of a thyroid disorder, but again I'm just freaked out that it's cancer :(

I think I need to pop a couple of xanax to calm down a bit. I would really appreciate any help. Thanks in advance!
Posted 10/16/2012 7:28 PM (GMT -8)
Hi Angela,

I've been waiting for someone who has experience with thyroid issues and birth control
pills to reply to your post but this isn't a real active forum. So I've been looking in my
books for the relationship between the thyroid and birth control pills. Your doctor is correct,
taking estrogen in any form, for example in birth control pills, can affect thyroid function
test results. "Oral contraceptives increase levels of TBG (thyroid binding globulin) which
carries the thyroid hormones in the blood. TBG acts as a storage pool and the hormones
attached to it cannot move from blood into tissue. Hence, they are inactive." (from
thyroid.about.com) Also, this from the same web site: "This means that almost any
thyroid blood test result is quite suspect, because the regular tests will show plenty
of thyroid hormone in the bloodstream, but you may still not have sufficient thyroid hormone
in the tissues. In other words, estrogens will make thyroid blood tests even more unreliable
than they already are."

Do you have other symptoms of hypothyroidism besides the lump in the throat? The increased
heart rate is more indicative of hyperthyroidism. Also, you said you are taking Yasmin to
regulate menstruation and PMS but thyroid problems can be a cause of menstrual problems.
So then, you have to wonder if you have had thyroid problems for a while.

At least it sounds like your doctor is on the right track. Again, I don't know much about nodules
because I have never had one, but I did find this which I hope will ease your mind:

The thyroid is a gland located in the neck and is responsible for secreting thyroid hormone. The regulation of amount of thyroid that is secreted is based on amount of thyroid levels in the blood as well as levels of TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) and TRH (thyrotropin releasing hormone) which regulate how much thyroid hormone is released. Not all thyroid nodules are dangerous. A great majority of these nodules are not serious and do not usually cause any symptoms. Thyroid cancer accounts for a small percentage of thyroid nodules. Frequently included in the workup is an ultrasound examination of the thyroid gland. If an abnormal cyst or nodule is detected, this may need to be sampled with a needle -- a procedure called "Fine Needle Aspiration" or FNA. That sample is then sent to a pathologist who will look at it under a microscope and determine if it is normal or abnormal thyroid tissue. Based on all of these tests and results, the proper diagnosis and treatment can be proposed by your physician. I recommend consulting an endocrinologist or an Endocrine surgeon for evaluation of your thyroid.

Read more at http://www.askthedoctor.com/topics-a-z/425-thyroid-disorders/134037-thyroid-nodule-which-doctor-should-i-consult.html#Ydb288q4dClG71kq.99

Let us know when you have the sonogram and what you find out. It sounds like you have a
thyroid dysfunction, but your tests are so out of whack that it's hard to figure out what is
going on. I hope you find answers and start feeling better soon.
Posted 10/18/2012 12:35 PM (GMT -8)
Thank you SO much for responding! I went to do the Sono this morning and the results should be to my doctor by the beginning of next week.

The more I have been reading, the more I'm convinced that it is caused by my birth control pills. I read that they will elevate T3 and T4, but if your TSH is normal you don't need any treatment. It seems like my BC pills are the cause of more problems than they are a cure :( After the results come back from the sono, I will ask my dr. about the BC pills/thyroid connection and decide whether or not I want to continue on the BC pills. I've been on them for 4 years and they really helped in the beginning, but now I guess I will need to weigh the pros against the cons.

Thanks again for responding! I will post my sonogram results once I hear from my doctor :)
Posted 10/31/2012 3:17 PM (GMT -8)
Hi, All.

Now I am REALLY freaking out! My doctor called me about a week after the sono and said that there was nothing worrisome on the scan. Okay, good news, right? Well, today I received the actual report from the lab and it says that "There is a tiny cyst or hypoechoic nodule in the mid right lobe of the thyroid gland, measuring 2mm." THAT sounds like something I should worry about, doesn't it? My doctor is still saying that it is fine but in doing online research (sometimes I think that I should lock my computer away so I don't have access to it) it seems like having only one cyst raises your chance that it's cancerous... also a hypoechoic nodule is more likely to be cancerous than a hyperechoic nodule. :(

Does anyone have any experience with this? I am going to pick up my scans tomorrow and bring them to my sister-in-law that works at a hospital. Hopefully, she can get another doctor's opinion on it.

Thanks!!!
Posted 8/29/2014 12:50 PM (GMT -8)
Omg! I know this thread is old but I've been having the exact same feeling for over a year. Diagnosed with lpr, anxiety, depression. Everything I didn't have before. It started when I stopped taking birth control pills. Xanax is the only thing that helps. How come no doctor has made this link to the pills? I guess I'll go request a thyroid test or something.
Posted 8/29/2014 12:52 PM (GMT -8)
For reference, I was on some form of hormonal birth control for almost 10 years and I was 29 when I stopped.
Posted 9/1/2014 8:21 AM (GMT -8)

lillian83 said...
Omg! I know this thread is old but I've been having the exact same feeling for over a year. Diagnosed with lpr, anxiety, depression. Everything I didn't have before. It started when I stopped taking birth control pills. Xanax is the only thing that helps. How come no doctor has made this link to the pills? I guess I'll go request a thyroid test or something.

Hi, Lillian - I haven't been on here in a long time because I finally went to an endocrinologist and he said all of my numbers were perfectly normal for being on the BC pills. I do have some other issues now, mainly on and off elevated calcium levels so now we are thinking it is my parathyroid. I have to go and have more blood work and a bone scan done in a couple of months to rule it out.

You said that you were diagnosed with anxiety and depression AND lpr and that xanax helps. I had this same exact issue but never connected the dots (nor was I formally diagnosed with anxiety). I don't think I ever had LPR, although i did have the lump in my throat feeling for about a year and a half and my ENT just kept upping my dose of omeprazole and it never helped. Finally, i started keeping a food journal and made notes of when I felt the lump in my throat. I never, ever woke up with the feeling in my throat and it was always about an hour after waking that it would show up. Whenever I went out of town, it went away but as soon as i got home, it would be back AND the kicker... it would disappear if I took a xanax or had a glass of wine. Putting all of that together, I realized it was never LPR and that my anxiety over my job, family issues, etc. is what was causing the lump - because when i removed myself from the stress (going out of town, waking up from a deep sleep, etc.) the lump went away. Knowing that it was something that I could control through meditation, etc. I haven't experienced it in about 2 years now.... I know everyone's situation is different and this post should never, ever replace the advice from a doctor, but it was my experience and hopefully it can help you get some relief :)
Posted 3/10/2016 8:28 AM (GMT -8)
Angela, Lillian, I am new to the hyperthyroid world but have lived in the ups and downs. I dedicate a lot of my weekends to books and research on this topic. I too have a 4mm node on the right side. After taking bc pills for 2.5 years yaz, I experienced a total intolerant to alcohol - I would have one beer and feel woozy. Frequent urination, dry mouth, heart races. I rarely sleep. I thought I had cancer for months, same feeling of anxiety, then i thought it was a heart condition from the elevated heart rate and palpitations. Nope, My T3 are high, T4 are high and TSH is low, classic graves. Doctors, ruled everything out a week ago that its due to BC.

Is this typical, well sort of. Bottom line before or after the BC, I have thyroid condition, cancer or not it still a thyroid problem - it give me peace of mind that what we are feeling is just chemical reactions and we can beat this. :)

Please give me an update on both of your conditions - how did they start just curious, what was that first feeling?
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