Testing For Thyroid Function, Explained By An Endocrinologist
A blood test will check your thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) to see whether you might have thyroid disease.
In order to screen for thyroid dysfunction, you’ll likely take at least one blood test looking at thyroid-stimulating hormone, or TSH. This hormone is released by the pituitary gland, according to Sonal Chaudhry, MD, Endocrinologist at NYU Langone Health.
What do test results for thyroid function mean?
Here are some examples of what your test results may mean:
If your TSH is high and your thyroid hormone levels are low, you could have primary hypothyroidism. This means that your thyroid isn’t making enough thyroid hormone.
If your TSH is low and your thyroid hormone levels are high, then you could have hyperthyroidism. This means that your body is making too much thyroid hormone.
If your TSH and your thyroid hormone levels are low, you could have central hypothyroidism. This means that your pituitary gland isn’t secreting enough hormones to support the functioning of your thyroid gland.
“If you have symptoms that are suggestive of thyroid dysfunction, it’s important to be tested for it,” says Dr. Chaudhry. “It’s very easy to make the diagnosis, and it’s very easy to treat if you have a problem.”
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- Sonal Chaudhry, MDDr. Chaudhry is an Endocrinologist at NYU Langone Health in New York City.
References
Beck-Peccoz, Paolo. (2017). Nature Reviews Endocrinology. Central hypothyroidism – a neglected thyroid disorder.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. (2021). Hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid).
National Library of Medicine. (N.D.). Thyroid diseases.
National Library of Medicine. (N.D.). TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) test.
Nygaard, Birte. (2010). BMJ Clinical Evidence. Hypothyroidism (primary).