Thyroid stimulating hormone (also known as thyrotropin, thyrotropic hormone, TSH, or hTSH for human TSH) is a pituitary hormone that stimulates the thyroid gland to produce thyroxine (T4 ), and then triiodothyronine (T3 ) which stimulates the metabolism of almost every tissue in the body.

It is a glycoprotein hormone synthesised and secreted by thyrotropic cells in the anterior pituitary gland, which regulates the endocrine function of the thyroid.

TSH (with a half-life of about an hour) stimulates the thyroid gland to secrete the hormone thyroxine (T4), which has only a slight effect on metabolism. T4 is converted to triiodothyronine (T3), which is the active hormone that stimulates metabolism. About 80% of this conversion is in the liver and other organs, and 20% in the thyroid itself. Testing of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels in the blood is considered the best initial test for hypothyroidism.

The Thyroid TSH Rapid Test is a simple test that utilises a combination of monoclonal antibodies to selectively detect elevated levels of TSH in whole blood.

Please ensure that you read the instructions for use before taking this test

Anaemia due to iron depletion is widely held in children and women of all ages but mainly in women who still have their periods (at least 20% suffer from iron deficiency). The main symptoms are paleness, feeling tired, headaches, faster heartbeat, or shortness of breath during exercise. They may appear gradually and could go unnoticed. Iron deficiency occurs when blood does not contain enough red blood cells and thus low levels of haemoglobin, which is the major protein involved in carrying oxygen to your body’s organs and tissues and transporting carbon dioxide from your organs and tissues back to your lungs. An important component of haemoglobin is iron. Depletion of iron, which can happen during pregnancy, growth, in case of insufficient iron intake, inadequate absorption or blood loss (period, abnormal bleedings, ulcers, etc.) has tremendous effects on health. Low ferritin may also indicate hypothyroidism, vitamin C deficiency or coeliac disease. Low ferritin levels are seen in some patients with restless legs syndrome, not necessarily related to anaemia, but perhaps due to low iron stores short of anaemia.