Thyroid: The Hormone You Didn't Know You Were Missing
Let’s dive into something that’s been weighing on my mind for a long time—the struggle hypothyroid patients face when trying to get properly diagnosed in the UK. It’s an uphill battle, and it’s one that too many people are losing.
Imagine this: Two patients, one in Canada and one in the UK. Both are feeling utterly drained, gaining weight despite their best efforts, watching their hair thin, nails weaken, and their thoughts become murky and sluggish. They visit their doctors, both of whom run the usual blood tests, checking if their thyroid could be the culprit behind their woes. But here’s where things take a sharp turn.
In Canada, if your thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level is above 2.5, you’d likely start treatment. In the UK? You’d have to wait until your TSH is four times that before getting any help. Yes, four times! And if you’re really lucky—like, hit-the-jackpot lucky—you might get help when your TSH is only double that level.
Think about that. In Canada, feeling tired and foggy is enough to get you treatment. In the UK, you’d have to be practically crawling through your day, your mind wrapped in a thick haze, before the medical system acknowledges your struggle.
Why the difference? It all comes down to the reference ranges doctors use, which aren’t consistent around the globe. The UK, unfortunately, is the odd one out when it comes to diagnosing hypothyroidism.
Let’s break it down:
Country TSH Reference Range (mIU/L)
Australia: 0.3 - 2.5
Belgium: 0.3 - 2.5
Canada: 0.3 - 2.5
Germany: 0.3 - 2.5
Sweden: 0.3 - 2.5
United States: 0.3 - 3.0
United Kingdom: 0.5 - 10.0
Spot the outlier? Yep, it’s the UK. If you’re a Brit living in Australia, you’d get treated for hypothyroidism much sooner than if you were still in the UK. And here’s the kicker: colder climates, like the UK, actually make your thyroid work harder, not easier. Yet, the UK requires a much higher threshold before offering treatment. It’s like your health is at the mercy of a postcode lottery.
But why should you have to wait until your blood levels are four times higher than those in other countries before you get help for symptoms like:
Exhaustion that no amount of sleep can fix
Weight gain and a metabolism stuck in slow motion
Skyrocketing cholesterol levels
Brain fog that clouds every thought
Infertility that breaks your heart
Depression that drags you down
Cold hands and feet that never seem to warm up
Heart palpitations that make you catch your breath
Dizziness, fainting spells, and erratic blood pressure?
As someone who’s walked this path, I can tell you these symptoms are more than just inconvenient—they can be life-altering. I’ve spoken with women who’ve suffered through recurrent miscarriages, even losing babies as late as five months into pregnancy. It’s devastating, and it’s something that needs attention—now. We need to know what’s happening with our bodies so we can seek the treatment we need to heal.
In my next article, I’ll dive into the difference between T4—the thyroid hormone that levothyroxine tries to replicate—and T3, the active form that every cell in your body craves. Understanding this could be the key to unlocking your path to better health.
Have you or someone you love struggled with hypothyroidism and found it hard to get diagnosed? Share your story in the comments below. It’s only by speaking up and sharing our experiences that we can help each other find the path to recovery.
