Understanding Your Hypothyroidism Test Results
A simple regular blood test is used to guide treatment for hypothyroidism and monitor the condition. Here's what the numbers mean. By Beth W. Orenstein Medically Reviewed by Farrokh Sohrabi, MD If there’s a bright side to hypothyroidism , or an underactive thyroid, it’s that treatment usually just involves taking daily medication , and testing is limited to a simple blood test. Your hypothyroidism test results are your doctor’s blueprint for prescribing the right dose of synthetic thyroid hormone medication and tracking how well it’s working. Thyroid Hormones: Names and Numbers The main job of the thyroid gland is to make the hormone thyroxine, also known as T4 because it has four iodine molecules. The thyroid also makes the hormone triiodothyronine, known as T3 because it has three iodine molecules, but in smaller amounts, explains Cathy Doria-Medina, MD, an endocrinologist with HealthCare Partners Medical Group in Torrance, Calif. “The thyroid...