body temp, is it really accurate?

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-19-2004
body temp, is it really accurate?
2
Wed, 09-08-2004 - 4:16pm
Hi! I have Graves, which some of you may know.

I've read a lot about people, especially hypo people being concerned with their body temperature being low. Is that really an accurate indication of thyroid problems?

I am curious b/c like I said, I am hyper. But my body temp is usually low, around 97.4

Of course once I get moving around I warm up, but in the a.m. and when I am relaxing I am usually cool. I sweat a lot, so is it just my body being cooled by sweating? Too, I know my body temp has always been kinda low, so maybe it's just normal- for me.

Just curious if anyone has any thoughts on this and whether temperature is truly indicative of a thyroid problem.

Thanks everyone!

April

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-09-2001
Wed, 09-08-2004 - 5:57pm
Hi April - I think body temperature is a fairly accurate indication of thyroid disease but it's not the only one so I wouldn't rely on it. And there are so many things that affect body temperature that it would be difficult to isolate when it's your htyroid affecting it. That said, here's some info from a site about Grave's: "If you are below the prime basal temperature, you are hypothyroid and in need of more thyroid hormone replacement. If above, you are hyperthryoid." That's pretty succint. :) But since you're hyper and you're body temp is below normal, more like hypo, you can see that it's not necessarily the BEST indication.

Here's a site that has more than you will ever want to know about body temperature and thyroid and other conditions: http://www.drrind.com/tempgraph.asp The charts are a little chaotic and nutty looking but the info looks interesting. Hope this helps. Cathy :)

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-05-2004
Wed, 09-08-2004 - 11:14pm
I have Graves too, but my temperature's usually pretty high--sometimes 100 or 100.5 at night.