Q: I am 25 years old, married for the past 5 years. I have not been able to conceive so far. I have a problem with my monthly period cycle, which is too irregular. Last week, I got myself checked for T3, T4 and TSH. The results of the same are: 34.2, 2.8 and 75.70 respectively. I got the TSH value rechecked the very next day, which was 73.87. Can you please tell what disease am I suffering from and how should I tackle it?

A:You have primary hypothyroidism meaning your thyroid gland which makes thyroid hormone is not functioning. This is most likely the cause of infertility. Most common cause of this disease is presence of autoantibodies in blood which destroys the gland permanently. You may get anti-TPO done in your blood sample. Most likely you will need medications for life long. But it is ok, and you do not have to worry. As you are deficient in this hormone you have to take this as supplement. You need to keep your TSH in normal range. Usual dose requirement is 100-150 microgram of thyronorm every day. Medication has to be taken in fasting state. It has no side effects. Follow up is also easy. You need to get your TSH only done after 6 weeks and once it is in normal range then it needs to be done once in a year only. I hope with this treatment you are likely to conceive in a few months time.