TSH

TSH; Thyroid Stimulating Hormone; Thyrotropin

A TSH test is done to find out if your thyroid gland is working the way it should. It can tell you if it’s overactive (hyperthyroidism) or underactive (hypothyroidism). The test can also detect a thyroid disorder before you have any symptoms. If untreated, a thyroid disorder can cause health problems.

TSH stands for “thyroid stimulating hormone” and the test measures how much of this hormone is in your blood. TSH is produced by the pituitary gland in your brain. This gland tells your thyroid to make and release the thyroid hormones into your blood.

Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) is produced by the anterior pituitary gland, a small organ located below the brain and behind the sinus cavities. 

TSH stimulates the thyroid, a small butterfly-shaped gland located inside the neck in front of the windpipe, by binding to the TSH receptor to release the hormones thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) into the blood. This test measures the amount of TSH in the blood.

T4 and T3 help control the rate at which the body uses energy. Most of the hormone produced by the thyroid is T4. This hormone is relatively inactive, but it is converted into the much more active T3 in the liver and other tissues. TSH, along with its regulatory hormone thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH), which comes from the hypothalamus, is part of the feedback system that the body uses to maintain stable amounts of thyroid hormones in the blood.