Iron deficiency and hypothyroidism in young female

[Gab1985]

23 year old female comes in because she's losing too much hair. She turns out to have a mild iron deficiency, no anemia, and high TSH (she has bloodwork from two years ago with normal TSH values). She's been an ovolactovegetarian for four years, and seems to follow a reasonably balanced diet. She's on oral contraceptives, so her menses are not abundant.
Do you think her diet is a satisfactory explanation for the iron deficiency, or do you think she should be studied further? Do you think the hypothyroidism has to do with this? I read that soy contains high levels of thiocyanates, which may cause hypothyroidism, but I'm not sure about that. Well... That's it. Thank you. Sorry for the broken english.

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[Gastrapathy]

It sure is hard to figure out where medical advice ends and discussing an interesting case begins.

 

[gutonc]

It sure is hard to figure out where medical advice ends and discussing an interesting case begins.

Agreed...I was about halfway done answering this question when I realized this was probably more of the former than the latter which is kind of a bummer, because it is a good teaching case.

 

[GoSpursGo]

SDN isn't for medical advice. Please consult your own physician.