the common tests used to diagnose thyroid disease include total t4 total t3 free t4 (not bound to protein) and tsh. t4 t3 and free t4 are hormones produced either in the thyroid or converted in the body from thyroid hormones. tsh is produced in the pituitary gland of the brain and is the control center hormone. tsh tells the thyroid how much thyroid hormone should be produced. tsh is the best test to evaluate the overall functioning of the thyroid. so if the tsh value is below normal that means the thyroid is producing too much thyroid hormone and if the tsh level is above normal there is not enough t4 t3 and free t4. of course if there is disease in the pituitary which is rare then the t4 t3 and free t4 are the informative tests. you should discuss your values with your doctor. as you can see from the values listed below there is a fairly large normal range for t4 and t3. as you mention your values are in the lower range of normal but as long as your tsh is normal your thyroid is working well. remember that you will want to find out the normal range for the laboratory used by your doctor. the values listed below are the usual ranges for most laboratories. the normal range are: tsh (0. 4 - 4. 0 miu/l) total t4 (4. 5 to 11. 2 mcg/dl) total t3 (100 - 200 ng/dl) free t4 (0. 8 - 1. 8 ng/l)
what are the normal thyroid levels for a woman age 54. my dr keeps telling me i'm low-normal.