The Thyroid Blog

FAQ on Saliva and Bloodspot Testing for Hormone Levels

Many readers write to me asking about saliva and blood spot testing for thyroid and other hormones, and why it may be of interest to some patients and practitioners.

Recently, ZRT Laboratories launched its Comprehensive Hormone Profile home test kit, which combines saliva and blood spot testing in a home collection kit.  The kit allows for same-day testing of the three major hormonal symptom areas - reproductive, thyroid and adrenal. 

The Comprehensive Hormone Profile tests:

• Sex/Reproductive Hormones: Estradiol, Progesterone, Testosterone
  
• Adrenal Hormones: DHEA, Cortisol (AM, noon, evening and PM)
  
  
• Thyroid Hormones: TSH, FreeT3, FreeT4, TPO
  
  

Find out more about this important resource now.

Elevated Autoantibodies and Autoimmunity Linked to Preeclampsia

Women who develop preeclampsia during pregnancy are more likely to develop certain dangerous autoantibodies than women with normal pregnancies, and these autoantibodies are still present two years after childbirth in about 20 percent of women who had the disorder, scientists from the University of Pittsburgh report in the March issue of Hypertension, the journal of the American Heart Association.

Also known as toxemia, preeclampsia affects some 5 percent of pregnancies and is a leading cause of maternal and fetal illness and death, particularly in developing nations. Signs include:

NY, NJ, CT Thyroid Patients: Upcoming Thyroid Seminar

On Friday, March 23, at 7:15pm, the New York Open Center, the nation's leading holistic health center, will be hosting an educational session with Mary Shomon, to discuss idea in the book, The Thyroid Hormone Breakthrough: Overcoming Sexual and Hormonal Problems at Every Age.

Millions of American women suffer from sexual and reproductive health problems such as low sex drive, infertility, difficult pregnancies, PMS, and menopausal symptoms that are often caused by undiagnosed or improperly treated thyroid conditions. Mary Shomon will draw from her new book to share a holistic approach to identifying, diagnosing and resolving thyroid-related hormonal problems. Come discover how to find the right practitioner, get properly diagnosed and effectively treated.

Register online or call 212 219 2527, extension 2 to register by phone.

Friday, March 23, 7:15pm
Course #: 07WHH75P
Cost: Members $20 / Nonmembers $22 (includes handouts)

Why Is There Even Debate Over Female Thyroid Testing? Patient Advocate Says Pregnant Women -- -- and Their Babies -- Deserve Proper Thyroid Diagnosis and Treatment

The launch of a new clinical trial looking at pregnancy and thyroid disease -- and the implications for babies -- has focused debate on the value of screening and treating pregnant women for thyroid conditions.

The nation's leading thyroid patient advocate, Mary Shomon, urges women to think twice, however, about participating in the study, and to be aware of important guidelines when it comes to thyroid disease and pregnancy, and the birth and health of their babies.

Thyroid Disease Raises Risk for Birth Defects

Women with thyroid disease are more likely to give birth to babies with heart, brain and kidney defects even if the thyroid function tests are normal during the pregnancy, according to new research from Johns Hopkins.

Results of the study, to be presented Jan. 17 at the annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine in New Orleans, showed that babies born to women with overactive or underactive thyroid also were at increased risk of a variety of other anomalies, including cleft lip or palate, or extra fingers. In addition, infants born to women with underactive thyroid were at increased risk of cardiac problems even if the mothers were on medication.