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UCLA Health
uclahealth.org › medical-services › surgery › endocrine-surgery › patient-resources › patient-education › endocrine-surgery-encyclopedia › hypothyroidism-secondary
Hypothyroidism Secondary - Endocrine Surgery | UCLA Health
Hypothyroidism Secondary: What is Hypothyroidism secondary?, Secondary hypothyroidism involves decreased activity of the thyroid caused by failure of the pituitary gland.
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Verywell Health
verywellhealth.com › secondary-hypothyroidism-5272471
Secondary Hypothyroidism: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment
October 16, 2025 - Secondary hypothyroidism is a variation of hypothyroidism in which the pituitary gland is underactive. Learn about causes, symptoms, treatment, and more.
Discussions

Anyone have experience with Central (Secondary) Hypothyroidism? I just got my diagnosis.
Yes, I have Central Hypothyroidism after a Pituitary tumor removal. I've had this condition for over 14 1/2 years. When correcting the Central Hypothyroidism, your fT3 and fT4 levels are what should be looked at. In my case, my TSH is non-existent, so it's useless for determining how my thyroid meds are working. With Central Hypothyroidism, your fT3 and fT4 levels must be in the UPPER HALF of the range. Just being in range isn't good enough and you will still be Hypothyroid. If both fT3 and fT4 are low, you need to replace with Synthroid(Levothyroxine), which replaces fT4 and Cytomel(Liothyronine), which replaces fT3. Best Wishes! More on reddit.com
🌐 r/Hypothyroidism
57
12
April 21, 2022
Secondary Hypothyroidism..?

What's your MCV, MCH, hemoglobin, prolactin, IGF1?

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🌐 r/Hypothyroidism
24
1
June 28, 2022
Just diagnosed with secondary hypothyroidism..anyone else?

What are your labs? I believe initially I was diagnosed with this, as my TSH was normal, but somewhere along the way that diagnosis got changed.

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🌐 r/Hypothyroidism
11
7
February 6, 2023
Is this suggestive of secondary hypothyroidism?

This looks suspiciously like central hypothyroidism. Your pituitary gland isn't putting out enough TSH, and so your body isn't producing enough T4.

You need to get all your other pituitary hormones (and the related hormones) checked, in particular prolactin, IGF-1, ACTH and cortisol. ACTH and cortisol are for adrenal insufficiency. If your prolactin is high, that indicates that your hypothalamus is putting out a lot of TRH in order to drive TSH production. As a side effect, prolactin is often moderately elevated.

The problem is that many doctors appear to think that central hypothyroidism means your TSH has to be close to zero. This is not the case. It just has to be "inappropriately low", and with your very low fT4 and symptoms, your TSH is most definitely "inappropriately low".

It is fairly likely that you have deficiencies in other pituitary hormones as well.

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🌐 r/Hypothyroidism
43
9
January 27, 2020
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Endocrinologyadvisor
endocrinologyadvisor.com › home › ddi › central hypothyroidism
Central Hypothyroidism - Endocrinology Advisor
August 13, 2025 - Central hypothyroidism occurs when there is a problem with the pituitary gland (secondary) or hypothalamus (tertiary) rather than with the thyroid gland itself.
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Merck Manual
merckmanuals.com › professional › endocrine and metabolic disorders › thyroid disorders › hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism - Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders - Merck Manual Professional Edition
June 5, 2024 - In primary hypothyroidism, there is decreased feedback inhibition of the intact pituitary, and serum TSH is always elevated, whereas serum free T4 is low. In secondary hypothyroidism, free T4 and serum TSH are low (sometimes TSH is normal but with decreased bioactivity).
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NCBI
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov › books › NBK519536
Hypothyroidism - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf
February 18, 2024 - The less commonly seen secondary or central hypothyroidism occurs when the thyroid gland functions normally; however, hypothyroidism results from the abnormal pituitary gland or hypothalamus function. Untreated hypothyroidism increases morbidity and mortality.
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Texas Department of State Health Services
dshs.texas.gov › home › newborn screening program › newborn screening parent resources › secondary hypothyroidism
Secondary Hypothyroidism | Texas DSHS
In secondary hypothyroidism, not only is the thyroid involved, but also other endocrine system glands. The thyroid itself is regulated by another gland that is in the brain called the pituitary. In turn, the pituitary is regulated in part by the thyroid (via a “feedback” effect of thyroid hormone on the pituitary gland) and by another gland called the hypothalamus.
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American Thyroid Association
thyroid.org › home › thyroid function tests
Thyroid Function Tests | American Thyroid Association
June 8, 2020 - A high TSH level indicates that the thyroid gland is not making enough thyroid hormone (primary hypothyroidism). The opposite situation, in which the TSH level is low, usually indicates that the thyroid is producing too much thyroid hormone (hyperthyroidism). Occasionally, a low TSH may result from an abnormality in the pituitary gland, which prevents it from making enough TSH to stimulate the thyroid (secondary hypothyroidism).
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Johns Hopkins Medicine
hopkinsmedicine.org › health › conditions-and-diseases › hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism | Johns Hopkins Medicine
The normal thyroid cells are overrun by white blood cells and scar tissue. Another cause may be treatment for an overactive thyroid gland. That may include radioactive iodine therapy or surgery. Hypothyroidism may also develop shortly after pregnancy. A condition called secondary hypothyroidism ...
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Better Health Channel
betterhealth.vic.gov.au › health › conditionsandtreatments › thyroid-hypothyroidism
Thyroid - hypothyroidism | Better Health Channel
Primary hypothyroidism means that the thyroid gland itself is diseased, while secondary hypothyroidism is caused by problems with the pituitary gland, the brain structure that supervises the thyroid gland.
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Healthline
healthline.com › health › hypothryroidism › pituitary-hypothyroidism
Pituitary Hypothyroidism: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment
March 23, 2023 - Pituitary hypothyroidism is when your pituitary gland doesn’t produce enough hormones to stimulate the production of a normal amount of thyroid hormone. The medical term for this condition is secondary hypothyroidism, or central hypothyroidism.
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PrimeHealth Denver
primehealthdenver.com › home › education › what is secondary hypothyroidism? diagnosis & treatment
What Is Secondary Hypothyroidism? Diagnosis & Treatment | PrimeHealth Denver
May 31, 2021 - This TSH deficiency leads to adverse symptoms similar to primary hypothyroidism, but treatment for this disorder is very different. Secondary hypothyroidism due to underactivity of the pituitary gland (or hypothalamus) thyroid-stimulating hormone 1 ...
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NHS
nhs.uk › conditions › underactive-thyroid-hypothyroidism
Underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) - NHS
An underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) is a common condition where the thyroid gland in your neck does not make enough hormones. This can cause symptoms like tiredness and weight gain.
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Ucsf
ccpd.ucsf.edu › pituitary-disorders › hormonal-conditions › hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism | California Center for Pituitary Disorders
Secondary (or central) hypothyroidism is caused by disorders of the pituitary gland or hypothalamus. Generally, secondary hypothyroidism is associated with low TSH and low T3 and T4. However, TSH levels may also be normal or even slightly elevated.
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Medical News Today
medicalnewstoday.com › articles › types-of-hypothyroidism
What are the types of hypothyroidism?
May 21, 2024 - People with primary hypothyroidism ... T3 and T4. Find out about at-home thyroid tests. Secondary hypothyroidism occurs when thyroid levels are too low...
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Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
chop.edu › conditions-diseases › hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism in Children | Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Central hypothyroidism occurs when the brain does not make thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), the signal that tells the thyroid gland to work. This condition is much less common than disorders associated with an abnormal thyroid gland.
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Mayo Clinic
mayoclinic.org › diseases-conditions › hypothyroidism › symptoms-causes › syc-20350284
Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic
December 10, 2022 - Understand what happens when your thyroid is underactive and learn about treatment for this condition.
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MedlinePlus
medlineplus.gov › home › health topics
Hypothyroidism | Hashimoto's Disease | MedlinePlus
Hypothyroidism, or underactive thyroid, happens when your thyroid gland doesn't make enough thyroid hormones to meet your body's needs.
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Paloma Health
palomahealth.com › learn › secondary-hypothyroidism
What Is Secondary Hypothyroidism? | Paloma Health
September 25, 2024 - Usually, secondary hypothyroidism occurs because the pituitary gland does not release thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), also called thyrotropin. TSH is the pituitary’s messenger hormone, communicating to the thyroid gland to ramp up or slow down thyroid hormone production.
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Zero To Finals
zerotofinals.com › medicine › endocrinology › hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism – Zero To Finals
Negative feedback is absent, resulting ... also called central hypothyroidism, is where the pituitary behaves abnormally and produces inadequate TSH, resulting in under-stimulation of the thyroid gland and insufficient thyroid hormones....
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AMBOSS
amboss.com › us › knowledge › hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism - Knowledge @ AMBOSS
2 weeks ago - Thyroid dysplasia: a disorder of embryologic development characterized by abnormal development and/or location of thyroid tissue (e.g., lingual thyroid) Secondary hypothyroidism: pituitary disorders (e.g., pituitary adenoma) → TSH deficiency