# Birth control effect on thyroid/test results?



## HGTVLover

I searched the forum but I found mostly stuff about taking birth control pills basically making hypothyroidism worse.

Has anyone experienced the opposite? In which being on birth control pills causes hyperthyroidism symptoms and not being on birth control pills causes hypothyroidism symptoms?

When I take birth control pills it then feels like something is stuck in my throat that I can't swallow. I then get hyperthyroid symptoms.

I am not sure that my TSH/Free T3/Free T4 has ever been tested when I was continually on or continually off birth control. A lot has been happening these past few months in regards to how I feel physically so I haven't been taking birth control everyday.

These are my lab results this week when I stopped taking birth control pills for a few days/almost a week because I decided I wanted to change to a new pill.

TSH	3.310 standard range 0.465 - 4.680 uIU/mL.
THYROXINE, FREE 0.85 standard range 0.78 - 2.19 ng/dL.
T3, FREE	3.37	standard range 2.77 - 5.27 pg/mL.

These were my lab results less than a month ago...but I don't remember my exact birth control usage at the time...but I was taking birth control pills but not consistently everyday.

TSH	0.475 standard 0.465 - 4.680 uIU/mL.
THYROXINE, FREE 1.20 standard range 0.78 - 2.19 ng/dL.
T3, FREE	4.01	standard range 2.77 - 5.27 pg/mL.

My antibody testing...
ANTI - THYROID PEROXIDASE AB 18 standard range 0 - 35 IU/mL.
ANTI - THYROGLOBULIN AB <20	standard range 0 - 40 IU/mL.
THYROID STIM. IMMUNOGLOB.	<89% standard range <140%.

How long would it take of continuous use of birth control/continuous non-use of birth control for any effects to be displayed in TSH test results? I would like to keep taking the birth control pill everyday and then get my TSH/Free T4/Free T3 checked to make sure it isn't making all of my symptoms worse. So any recommendations on how long I should wait after taking the pill everyday before I get my levels checked?

For reference I was on Levora (intermediate progestin activity, intermediate androgen activity and low estrogen activity) birth control pills and I have switched to Reclipsen (high progestin activity, intermediate estrogen activity, low androgen activity). The pills are so different but the fact that my throat feels like I can't swallow and then I get hyperthyroid symptoms makes me think it could be related.

Any advice you could offer would be appreciated.


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## HGTVLover

Update...

I talked to my doctor and she said either the birth control pills are increasing my need for thyroid hormones or I have spontaneously resolving thyroiditis. If it is spontaneously resolving thyroiditis it will resolve on it's own with no treatment. I am supposed to get my labs checked in a month then we will go from there. I am still really confused and not sure what all of this means but I thought this information might be helpful to someone else down the road.


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## lexi731

I just saw this thread. I recently saw a new endocrinologist that asked about birth control. It was the first time I had been asked that at my endocrinologist. She told me that the hormone in birth control pills binds to thyroid hormone, which causes your body to need more replacement hormone. No one ever bothered to mention it to me before but it makes sense. Your thyroid regulates your hormones and with birth control, you're adding hormones.

I recently went off of birth control so my endo could test for my hormone levels naturally. I found it very interesting though.


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## kris4913

I have a different situation, but your post caught my attention. My levels tanked after stopping BC. I had been borderline hypo for a while but never low enough to be prescribed meds. I had to stop BC pills last spring after developing blood clots in my arms. I had been on the same brand pill for almost 6yrs at the time so it was quite a shock to all my dr's and to me. After stopping BC, I was a wreck for months - headaches, vomiting, dizziness, having a period 2-3x a month, etc. Things slowly got better but I was still having problems and so with lots of different works up, my thyroid levels were found to have tanked from where they had been in previous screenings and I was prescribed a low dose of synthroid.


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