What is a normal TSH level?
As of early 2006, at most laboratories in the U.S., the official “normal” Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) blood test range runs from approximately .5 to 5.0. Reference range is a critical component, and the validity of the entire TSH test as diagnostic tool depends on it. TSH reference range is what determines — for the vast majority of physicians, who rely on blood tests almost exclusively — whether or not thyroid disease is even diagnosed at all, much less treated, and when diagnosed, how it is treated. A reference range is obtained by taking a large group of people in the population, measuring their TSH levels, and calculating a mean value. Supposedly, these people should be free of thyroid disease. What experts are now coming to understand, however, is that the upper TSH normal range has included people who actually have mild thyroid disease, and their higher TSH levels skewed the standard curve. This understanding led to the recommendation in January 2003 by the American Assoc
On the lab report next to the column that shows what your TSH level is there is a column that shows what the averages are. The generally excepted range for the TSH is .5-5.0 (although there is a new school of thought that believe above 3.0 is high) Free t4 is generally .75-1.76. *these vary slightly on school of thought and yours can be unique to you. These two tests can both be related to Thyroid disease. There are other tests that should be looked at in combination. T3 uptake, T7, FTI. These two numbers can be symptoms of a few different problems, especially in women. Hypothyroidism being just one of them. It is best to talk to your doctor and work with them. The Endocrine system is a complicated system you can see a specialist (endocrinologist) to get the best care and treatment (IMO). You should never use the internet for self-diagnoses or depend on feedback from individuals from the internet for diagnoses as a complete medical history is necessary to accurately diagnose a problem.
Most endocrinologists recognize a clinical cutoff of greater than 3.0 as high. This is different than the reference range stated on reports. One then looks at the thyroid hormones to see if they are low. If they are low then one assumes they are hypothyroid. If the thyroid hormones are within the reference range then it is considered as compensated subclinical hypothyroidism and they do not recommend any treatment but to simply monitor. It is recommended that they monitor up to a level of 10. It all depends on the clinical setting, symptoms, etc and each case is different but they prefer not to treat mild elevations of the TSH because of over-treatment complications. The T3 uptake, T7, calculated FTI are outdated tests and have been replaced with actual measured free T4 and Free T3. Those tests are no longer recommended if you can even find a lab that does them. I agree that people shouldn’t listen to people here on the net which is why your doctor is better able to explain to you spec
TSH is a test to measure how much Thyroid Stimulating Hormone your pituitary gland is producing. The TSH tells your thyroid to produce hormones. The higher the number, the less your thyroid is working. A properly working thyroid measures .35 to 5.5 for someone who has never been diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer. If you have been diagnosed, please refer to your health care provider for your goals. Medications for your thyroid will alter the TSH levels in your blood. It takes 6 weeks for a medication change to be accurately measured by a new blood test. If your health care provider has made a medication change, ask him or her how long to wait before you have another blood test.
