My LH is 5.6 and my FSH is 3.7. One Dr says this is good and shows I'm not going through menopause. Another Dr said they are low for my age (I'm 37). My testosterone was also low. My prolactin is 412. One Dr says its within normal range, another says its slightly high lol So here I am, wondering if anyone else has had similar levels & if so what they mean?
View 4 RepliesI found out about 6 months ago that I have high prolactin levels. They have put me on 2 different medications to reduce the levels. The first one made me sick so they lowered the dose. I am still experiencing abdominal cramps when I take them and my doctor doesn't seem to be concerned about it.
View 1 RepliesI am a 27 year old male. For some time I've shown symptoms of a lack of sex drive and erectile dysfunction but as I suffer from anxiety always attributed it as the cause. I had some blood tests done privately and my results showed a slightly raised prolactin level but my testosterone seems average.
TSH 0.70 mIU/L (0.27 - 4.2)
Prolactin 397 mIU/L (86 - 324)
Testosterone 21.3 nmol/L (7.6 - 31.4)
SHBG 35 nmol/L (16 - 55)
The results seem to suggest Prolactinoma but a common side effect is low testosterone where my results prove otherwise. I'm afraid if I speak to my doctor he will tell me it is all in my head so I'm trying to make some sense of the results.
I guess the question I'm asking is is it possible to have raised Prolactin/Prolactinoma and normal looking testosterone levels?
Should I speak to my doctor anyway?
I'm a 30 year old active female with a history of prolactin/pituitary problems.
- When I was 17 I was diagnosed with a pituitary macro adenoma. I responded well to cabergoline so no surgery was carried out to shrink the tumour.
- When I was 19 my MRI showed a small bleed to the tumour which caused it to shrink completely.
- when I was 21 I was taken off cabergoline and my prolactin levels remained normal for a few years.
- when I was 25 I noticed familiar symptoms, breast discharge and fatigue so went back to my consultant. My prolactin levels creeped back into the abnormal range and I was put back on cabergoline. MRI showed no tumour.
- 3 months back into treatment I found that cabergoline was making me incredibly tired and low so my consultant switched me to Quinagolide (norprolac) which worked and gave me no nasty side effects.
- I'm now 30years old and last year my consultant and I thought it was time to stop medication as my prolactin levels remained in the normal 300 mark. 2 weeks after coming off my medication I noticed my moods changed significantly and my sex drive vanished. I went back for immediate blood tests and my prolactin levels had raised up to 700! I went back on Quinagolide to reduce the levels and once again felt OK.
- I recently had another MRI to see if there had been any changes. My MRI was once again clear.
I'm incredibly frustrated and gutted to still be taking medication for something that I simply don't understand. Why are my prolactin levels continuing to rise yet I no longer have a pituitary tumour!? I go back to see my consultant in a couple of weeks but I fear that nothing will change and I will continue to treat a problem rather than get to the bottom of the cause.
How long does it take to get full pituitary function recovery after surgery to remove a non-functioning pituitary adenoma that was approximately 3cm in size.
View 1 RepliesIt was discovered i had an 8mm microadenoma. It raised my prolactin to 175 and lowered testosterone to 70. cabergoline lowered prolactin to normal levels. I had testosterone therapy raising my levels to normal but they went much lower again after the therapy. prolactin remains low. cortisol and insulin growth like factor 1 remain slightly elevated. Can any help as to why my testosterone remains low. I am 45 and active. slightly overweight by about 25 lbs but have always been even before the adenoma and prolactin issues.
View 1 RepliesI've been on Synthroid medication for 20 plus years and have done pretty well on it until recently. This routine test showed a TSH level > 100 and my Free T4 at .24 which is low. I've been placed on Synthroid at 300 mg and I'm waiting to see a specialist. In the meantime, I'm wondering what does this means?
View 1 RepliesHave been on L-Tyroxine probably 30 years. When I weighed 120, cholesterol was 190, now that I am 68 and 30 lbs more, 150 at 5'4", my cholesterol is 416 (LDL in 300 range). I eat clean, no breads, cereals, carbs, etc (except only once in a while) eat wild game, game hen, fish, chicken, loads of fruits, veggies, etc., every thing super lean, fresh. take loads of supplements. I lift weights, do yoga, stretches, heavy gardening. Therefore, I find it absurd that my LDL is that high! I have absolutely no health issues except high cholesterol. Would Armour be better?
View 1 RepliesI got labs done and my tsh is 4.83 range .50 to 4.30
Free t4 1.5 range .8 to 1.8
Free t3 3.8 range 2.3 to 4.2
My ferritin was extremely low only 13
My issue here is my free t3 and free t4 are both In the upper range yet my tsh is high do I have hypothyroid ?
I have joint pain and hairloss . I'm a 19 year old male . Many women in my family have hyper and hypo thyroid issues .
Looking at my t3 and t4 my thyroid looks optimal to me yet the high tsh has me confused .
I have no issues gaining or losing weight I just have a very puffy face .
I was feeling itching dryness, heat in hands & feet so i contacted doctor. he suggested TSH, RANDUM SUGAR, ALT tests. After conducting tests the report indicated normal sugar & ALT but high TSH 12.2 (RANGE WAS 0.4 TO 4.5). after that FREE T3 & T4 TESTS CONDUCTED. T3 was 1.3 (range 0.6 to 1.6) and T4 was 7.0 (range 4.9 to 11.7). this all is done in last two days and uptill now no medicine is taken yet. i am very anxious about the situation so please suggest me the best solution, treatment, medication, precautions of this problem.
View 2 RepliesI had my AM cortisol tested and it came out high. I did the blood test while fasting about 1 hour after I woke up.
My AM cortisol: 33.7 (normal range 6.2-19.4)
Could the high cortisol be the cause of my symptoms:fast heart rate (gets worse with exertion), sweating, and 15 pound weight loss, trouble sleeping?
I was researching it online and my symptoms seem to fit more with those with low cortisol than high cortisol. I've been to 5 doctors and went to the ER once because I've been feeling so terrible the past 4 months. My AM cortisol is the first thing to come out abnormal. All thyroid, liver, etc. tests come out perfectly within the normal range.
Very healthy adult male, with these numbers:
LH: <0.2 (undetectable)
FSH: <0.2 (undetectable)
Vitamins D, 25-hydroxy: 27.4
T: 154
All of these are abnormally low. I feel fine, but I suffer from ED, low libido
Doctors 'note' on the bottom of the test results were:
Needs to see endocrinology specialist AASAP!
Ok, nobody likes to see ASAP! Written by a Physician... How worried should I be?
I had a pituitary tumor removed several years ago. I had a follow up MRI last month and an appointment with my neurosurgeon. All is well. I did inform the Doctor I have been tired lately so he ordered blood work to check hormone levels. Turns out my testosterone level is low. Actually looked at my bloodwork records just prior to tumor removal and all hormone levels were WAY OFF - They have all seemed to come back to normal levels with the exception of my testosterone. My surgeon is referring me to a endocrinologist. Working on making an appointment now. Has anyone else experienced a low testosterone level after this tumor removal and if so what course of action did you have to take? I am 46 now and I understand testosterone levels do begin to drop a bit in males once reaching the age of 40.
View 2 RepliesI might have had 2 or 3 mild headaches in my life.
6 months ago i had most of my pituitary gland removed due to Cushing's Disease.
3 months ago i had a visual field test that showed possible swelling around the optic nerve.
6 weeks ago i started waking with headaches at about 4.30am ! i would sleep more then wake later with less of a headache but when i stood up i would get a whooshing sound in my ears and a throbbing in the top of my head. i told me GP. She said its normal when you first stand up ( Normal My #$$, if it was normal wouldnt it have been happening all my life, anyway i digress lol ). So i had these headaches, i got blurred vision and my blood pressure went up to 234/127. So off i go to hospital for 4 days.They played around with my blood pressure meds and sent me home. I still had headaches, blurred vision and my BP was 180/105( now on 4 different BP meds ).
2 weeks ago i went and had a repeat of my visual field test. The Opthmalogist wasnt too happy, basically told me one quadrant of my vision in my left eye was gone. Said he would speak to my Endocrinologist !
2 days later i noticed what i can only describe as a smudge in my vision...very annoying, but not painful and yes i can still see. but im not driving, im too scared to. I drove one day and as it got darker i couldnt tell where the other cars on the road were, kind of a distortion thing i guess
My Endocrinologist rang the next day and said i need to go for an urgent MRI...so i did.
That was 1 week ago. i have had no results, no phone calls. But i did get a letter advising me i have a Neurology outpatient appointment on 13th october ! i rang to confirm as i was waiting for an endocrine appointment. Hospital said, yes, the neurosurgeon refered you to neurolgy following your MRI. Hmmm thanks for that.
So now im trying to guess whats going on. Did my MRI show up something, if so what?, if not then why am i being referred to neurology?
I hate being in the dark. Yes i know i only have 2 weeks til i find out, but 2 weeks is hell when your second guessing.
Summary : i still have headaches ( they are for the most part mild, throbbing when i stand followed by whooshing in ears), vision has maybe slightly improved in last 2 days but still not normal. Blood pressure is still sitting around 180/105
This is all very new to me so I hope I'm doing this right but I'm just looking for some reassurance. I'm 26 years old and was diagnosed with a parapharyngeal space tumour in late 2012. 2013 my surgeon attempted to remove the tumor by cutting my jaw and going through the back of my throat into the pps, unfortunately he was unsuccessful and didn't remove any of the tumor. We decided to monitor it over two years and see if a change in growth was noted. I should mention that for the last 4 years I've had pain in my left ear and face which has been gradually worsening, and around 10 months ago I lost hearing in the same ear which is now joined by a high pitched ringing. A mri in early December 2015 showed a growth in tumor so my surgeon decided to remove it, however he would need to take a wider approach to ensure he would get the tumor this time, he is concerned that it's involved with my lower cranial nerves so we may need to remove or damage them which would greatly alter my quality of life. Currently I'm looking at other options or other ENT over the world for more opinions.im desperate to find someone else who has been through something similar or if anyone has a suggestion of surgeon or alternative treatments. They are unsure the nature of my tumor so time is of the essence for me. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I have a 1 year old baby who I need to be around for to watch grow up.
View 1 RepliesMy mother has been recently discovered a small growth on her pituitary gland. Her problems started three months ago with her irregular monthly periods and strange lactation. The tests she did showed significant increase of hormones. Then her doctor arranged CT scan and tumor was discovered. She started to have problems with her vision recently. Could problems with pituitary gland be causing vision problems?
View 2 RepliesMy MRI report had two findings. I am worried about the second one more than the first, and I'll explain why.
"Slightly prominent (upper range of normal) pituitary gland" is the first and impression was the radiologist recommended a second detailed 3D scan.
Secondly, there was a non-specific finding of an "8mm nodule medial to the internal carotid just outside the skull base, mildly hyperintense" - impression was it was not fully imaged and more detailed scan needed.
That second one worries me.
Could this be cancer? Tumor?
For the first, my family doctor ordered a blood test and my hormone levels were normal so she said its probably just a slightly oversized pituitary.
Hi, I’m hoping some people can hopefully give me some advice please regarding treatment. My history: I’m 30, diagnosed with secondary adrenal insufficiency via an insulin tolerance test. I have borderline low hypothyroidism, low prolactin. No cysts. I am 40kg, 5ft tall so I am very petite.
I currently take hydrocortisone after each meal 8am-4 mg, 12m-4mg, 3.30pm-4mg, 8pm- 3 mg. I have to take my medication following food to reduce the intensity of the spike. I also cannot tolerate more than 5mg at one time without getting awful side effects of anxiety and panic when the tablet peaks in my blood at 30 minutes. Each doe I take only lasts around 2.5-3 hours.If I am to take 10mg at once I feel ‘high’ and ‘rushy’ and anxious when it kicks in then after 3 hours its starts to drop and I feel low cortisol again.
I feel like I am swinging all day every day. I am still so fatigued, have very bad dizziness and brain fog, light sensitivity, blurred vision, weakness, leg and arm cramps, reactive hypoglycemia and achy.
4 weeks ago I ended up having an adrenal crises, yes it was horrendous and scary but I got through it and in a way it was a blessing because it has been a BIG wake up call that I need to stop being scared of trying new medication in fear of getting sicker and realised I have got to try and get myself well.
I have been so unwell since I was 21 I am now 30. ….i have lost so much of my life and I am sacred I am never going to get better or managed.
My consultant prescribes medrol a while ago and I have been too scared to start to but after my crises I started it. I am now taking 1mg Medrol in the morning and then 3 more doses of hydrocortisone at 4mg, 4mg and 2.5mg…
When I first started the Medrol I could feel it working but now its like I can not feel it and by 4 hours later I am feeling hypoglycaemic, weak nauseas etc… I am feeling so unwell after I eat a meal, like all my bodies energy is wiped out from digesting my food and im now lying in bed weak, giddy and lots of pain cramps in my arms and legs…
I have low blood pressure and my consultants suggested
fludrocortisone. I just don’t know what to do anymore. My consultants saying I shouldn’t feel so unwell and im just so lost.
Has anyone been on Medrol and can give advice on this. Im very petite, 5ft and 40 kg…I just feel so up and down and struggling with it all and also feel my symptoms get worse or better during certain times of the month..
i also cannot tolerate many carbohydrates because my blood glucose pikes very high at 1 1/2 hours post eating and drops every low by 21/2-3 hours.
I’ve now had to set up a backup carer to help when am unwell because i am on my own with 2 young children. I am getting help with them now and also trying to get support for taking them to school…im slowly getting there
I have also done a month of blood tests looking at progesterone and estrogen and have found a pattern in some of my symptoms.. I most definitely feel my worst when I am coming off my period, stopping bleeding where I start to feel cold and foggy and nauseous I then when ovulating feel at my worst and the 2 days when my estrogen was highest I had severe anxiety, tremor, agoraphobia, intense drowsiness after eating and these symptoms always disappear once I ovulate and start seeing progesterone mucous . Apart from these symptoms which come on with my cycle I suffer with all my other symptoms throughout the whole month with increase and decrease throughout my cycle.
I have included a lot of tests below and anyone who feels they can help would be so much appreciated. Thank you for your time
These are my most recent blood test
June 20th 2014
Autoimmune profile – normal no action
Mitochondrial antibody level – negative
Anti-smooth muscle autoantibodies – negative
Panetta cell autoantibodies – negative
Reticulum antibody titre – negative
Anti-liver kidney micro ab lev – negative
Serum vitamin D – 71 nmol/l
Erythrocyte sedimentation rate – 9 mm/h (0-15)
Total white cell count - 6.5 10*9/L (3.5-10.0010*9/L)
Red blood cell count - 4.14 10*12/L (3.8-5.0010*12/L)
Haemoglobin estimation - 119g/L (115.00-145.00g/L)
Haematocrit - 0.360L/L (0.36-0.46L/L)
Mean Corpuscular volume (MCV) - 87Fl (84-98)
Mean Corusc. Haemoglobin (MCH) - 28.7pg (27.5-32)
Mean Corpusc. HB conc (MCHC) - 331g/L (300-360)
Red cell distribution width - 15.1% (<14.50%)
Platelet count - 194 10.9/L (150-400 0010*9/L)
Neutrophil count 3.3 - 10.9/L (1-3.5010*9/L)
Lymphocyte count - 2.0 10*9/l (1-3.5010*9/L)
Monocyte count 0.8 - 10.9/L (0.31.0010*9/L)
Eosinophil count - 0.3 10*9/L (<0.401089/L)
Basophil count - 0.1 10*9/L (<0.1010*9/L)
Serum folate - 4ug/L (3-20)
Serum ferritin - 8ug/L (10-200)
Vitamin B12 - 632 ng/L (200-910)
TSH - 3.04 mu/L (0.35-5)
Free T4 - 11pmol/L (9-22)
Liver function tests
Total bilirubin level - 7umol/L (1-21)
ALT - 9 U/L (1-50)
Blood calcium level 2.16 mmol//L
Corrected serum calcium level – 2.14 mmol/L (2.20-2.60)
Serum inorganic phosphate - 1.44mmol/L (0.8-1.50)
Serum alkaline phosphatase – 54 U/L (30-130)
Serum total protein 69 g/L (60-80)
Serum albumin - 40 g/L (35-50)
Serum globulin - 29 g/L(22-40)
Serum sodium - 136 mmol/L (133-146)
Serum potassium - 4mmol (3.5-5.3)
Serum urea level - 3.8 (2.50-7.8)
Serum creatinine - 49 umol/L (20-103)
Plasma C reactive protein - 0.3mg/L (<5.00mg/l)
I paid for a whole series of blood tests. They was taken on day 4 of my period, I had fasted for 12 hours. I was salt fasted for 24 hours and remained sitting up prior to the test and during the test so the aldosterone and renin tests were accurate. The bloods were taken at 9am. I take hydrocortisone 15mg a day and took my last dose of 2.5mg at 8pm the night before the test. I was taking no supplimenst or anything else around the time of the test.
HORMONE PROFILE
Aldosterone 399.0 pmol/L Upright 100 - 800 pmol/L Supine 100 - 8450pmol/L
RENIN 66.2 mU/L Upright 5.4 - 60 mU/L Supine 5.4 - 30 mU/L
Aldosterone: Renin ratio 6 <80 Conn's Unlikely
FSH 6.1 U/L
LH 11.9
Oestradiol 106 pmol/L
Prolactin 144 mU/L 102 - 496
Cortisol (basal) 449 nmol/L (171 - 536) (BASAL 171-536, EVENING 64 - 327)
Free T3 4.8 pmol/L (3.1 - 6.8)
Thyroid stimulating hormone 2.310 mU/L (0.270 -4.200)
Free T4 14.0 pmol/L (12 - 22)
FULL BLOOD COUNT
WBC 4.90 x10^9/L (4.0 - 11.0)
RBC 4.43 x10^12/L (3.80 -5.80)
Haemoglobin 135 g/L (120 - 150) R
HCT 0.41 ratio (0.36 -0.46)
MCV 93.0 fL (80.0 -100.0)
MCH 30.4 pg (27.0 -32.0)
MCHC 326 g/L (315 - 345)
Platelets 241 x10^9/L (140 - 440)
RDW 11.8 (0.0 - 14.0) **
MPV 9.3 fL
Neutrophils(Abs) 2.58 10^9/L (2.0 - 7.5)
Lymphocytes (Abs) 1.69 10^9/L (1.5 - 4.0)
Monocytes (Abs) 0.44 10^9/L (0.2 - 0.8)
Eosinophils (Abs) 0.22 10^9/L (0.0 - 0.4)
Basophils (Abs) 0.02 10^9/L (0 - 0.1)
CRP< 0.3 mg/L (0 - 5)
BIOCHEMISTRY
Sodium 139 mmol/L (133 - 146)
Potassium 4.2 mmol/L (3.5 - 5.3)
Urea 4.9 mmol/L (2.8 - 7.8)
Creatinine 56 umol/L (45 - 84)
estimated GFR (eGFR) >90 ml/min
LIVER FUNCTION TEST
Total bilirubin 5 umol/L (0 - 21)
Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) 65 Iu/L (30 - 130)
ALT 11 Iu/L (0 - 33)
GGT 8 Iu/L (UP TO 40)
Total Protein 78 g/L (60 - 80)
Albumin 49 g/L (35 - 50)
Globulin 29 g/L (18 - 35)
AST 16 Iu/L (UP TO 32)
Lactate dehydrogenase 171 Iu/L (135 - 214)
Serum Calcium 2.39 mmol/L (2.2 - 2.6)
Albumin 49 g/L (35 - 50)
Adjusted Calcium 2.30 mmol/L (2.20 -2.60)
Uric Acid 278 umol/L (140 - 360)
Glucose 3.8 mmol/L (4.2 - 6.1) **
LIPID PROFILE
Cholesterol 3.94 mmol/L (0.0 - 5.2)
Triglycerides 0.54 mmol/L (2.26) *
HDL cholesterol 1.41 mmol/L (> 1.68)
Cholesterol/HDL ratio 2.8 ( <5)
Low density lipoprotein 2.28 mmol/L (2.5 - 4.5) **
% HDL/Total Cholesterol 35.79 %
B12 687 ng/L (191 - 663) **
Folate (serum) 5.4 ug/L (4.6 - 18.7)
IRON AND UIBC
UIBC 60.0 umol/L
Iron 17.0 umol/L (6.6 - 30.4)
Total iron binding Capacity 77.0 umol/L (41-77)
Transferrin saturation 22.1 % (20-55)
Ferritin 13.1 ug/L (13 - 400)
Ferritin 13.1 ug/L (13 - 400)
Vitamin D 24.5 nmol/L Reported
<25 nmol/L: Severe Vitamin D deficiency
25-75 nmol/L:Borderline ranging to insufficiency
75-200 nmol/L: Optimally replete
>250 nmol/L:Possible toxicity, if sustained
i am not overweight. Drink a healthy smoothie and whole grain cereal almost every morning yet my BP is still high. (100/170). I was told it may be because of elevated insulin levels caused by the fruit drinks and whole grains (as well as the potato, rice, pasta and breads) that I eat. These are things that easily break down into sugars and cause the issue. (Basically a carb issue). Am I supposed to go on one of those caveman diets? Has anyone tried lowering their carb intake to lower their BP?
View 53 RepliesLet me start off by saying I am a 20 year old male who was fine before all of this started. I went to the ER for chest pain and palpitations they did the basic test like EKG Xray and Blood work. The ER doctor said i was fine and they let em go home but said i need to see a cardiologist to just make sure everything was fine. So i went to see a cardiologist and the hospital faxed over all of my test results. Based on my ER visits EKG i have an abnormally high P wave everything else on the EKG was fine. They set me up for a Echocardiogram to make sure i did not have an enlarged heart. that test came back normal and they said i did not have a enlarged heart. They set me up for a Stress Echo test I went in for the test got my heart rate up to 200bpm the before and after pictures of my heart looked good and they said everything was working fine and that i was healthy. But during the test i still have those high P waves showing up on the EKG which he said was caused because I am very thin chested and my hear beats close to the surface of my chest so the EKG pick up a higher voltage. Now i have noticed a slight arrhythmia when i take my pulse it tends to beat at 60 bpm then 5 or 6 beats later it jumps to 80 bpm then back to 60 after 5 or so beats. This comes and goes and does not happen all the time and when it does happen it only last up to 30 minutes but during that time i feel fatigued . And finally my blood pressure seems high the systolic pressure is always within normal range its the diastolic that always above normal when i tested my blood pressure with a home blood pressure monitor today it was at 135 over 87 then when i tested it later on in the day it was 127 over 83 i have noticed in multiple test the diastolic seem to float around the mid 80's to 90's the highest i have seen is 133 over 99. The cardiologist does not see to think there is anything wrong with me I have another appointment this week to bring up the high blood pressure and the arrhythmia.
View 5 RepliesHi, Is is possible to have a high heart rate while at the same time a normal rate of blood pressure? I'm asking on behalf of a relative... I thought blood pressure would be high if the heart rate was also high?