Thyroid and irregular period

According the American Thyroid Association, “More than 12% of the US population will develop a thyroid condition in their lifetime.” And women are up to eight times more likely to develop thyroid disease than men. In fact, if your doctor has ever ordered a blood test because of a problem with your cycle, you’ve probably already had your thyroid hormone levels tested. But why? What is the connection between the thyroid and irregular periods?

What is your thyroid?

Before we look at how your thyroid affects your cycle, we need to unpack a lot about your thyroid. First: What is it?

Your thyroid gland is a small butterfly-shaped gland located at the front of your neck. It primarily releases two hormones: Thyroxine, AKA T4, and Triiodothyronine, AKA T3. In the medical community, they are often grouped into a single entity known as thyroid hormone. This gland is somewhat large because it is responsible for controlling your metabolism.

Quick refresher: Your metabolism is the process your body performs to turn food into energy. Because your thyroid regulates how and when your body gets energy, it also affects every cell in your body, including your brain, your toes, and everything in between. So when it comes to thyroid and irregular periods, you know they are definitely connected. But what happens when your thyroid isn’t working as it should?

What are common thyroid problems?

Like many health conditions, thyroid problems exist on a spectrum. Mild conditions may not even cause noticeable symptoms. However, there are two common ones that can wreak havoc on your period.

Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism describes someone with an underactive thyroid. According the National Institutes of Health (NIH)about 5% of Americans over the age of 12 have hypothyroidism, but many cases are mild.

Symptoms of hypothyroidism include;:

Weight gain
Fatigue
Muscle and joint pain
Sensitivity to cold
Depression
Slower heart rate
Thin hair and dry skin
Irregular menstrual periods or fertility problems

Hypothyroidism can be congenital or it is caused by many different thingssuch as:

Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
Inflammation of the thyroid
Certain medicines
Thyroid radiation therapy
Surgery or thyroid removal

If you are experiencing symptoms of hypothyroidism and can point to any of the causes listed above, it is vital that you see your doctor. To get an official diagnosis, your healthcare provider will likely want to run several tests, including blood tests and imaging.

Treatment for hypothyroidism

For many people with hypothyroidism, treatment involves taking a medicine called levothyroxine in pill form. It’s a synthetic version of the hormones produced by the thyroid, and once you and your doctor determine the right dosage, your hypothyroidism will likely be completely under control—provided you’re taking the medication as directed.

That said, getting the levels right can take some time, so don’t expect to feel amazing overnight. And if you’re not ready for the synthetic versions, you can also get natural forms — but be warned, they come from animals.

Hyperthyroidism

You can probably guess that hyperthyroidism is the opposite and describes someone with an overactive thyroid, meaning the thyroid produces too much thyroid hormone. Comparatively, Hyperthyroidism is not that common and affects only about 1% of Americans over the age of 12.

Symptoms include:

Difficulty tolerating heat
Fast heartbeat
Hands are shaking
Increased appetite accompanied by weight loss
Swollen thyroid gland, also known as a goiter
Increased irritability
Fatigue and difficulty sleeping
Frequent bowel movements
Excessive sweating

One of the causes of hyperthyroidism is Graves’ disease, an autoimmune condition that causes your body to attack your thyroid. Other causes include;:

Incorrect dose of thyroid hormone medication
Hyperactive thyroid nodules
Thyroiditis, also known as inflammation of the thyroid gland
Benign pituitary tumor
Excess iodine

Like hypothyroidism, you should see your doctor to get an official diagnosis.

Treatment for hyperthyroidism

The treatment of hyperthyroidism can be quite varied. Depending on the cause, people with hyperthyroidism may be prescribed medication or recommended for radioactive iodine treatment or surgery to remove the thyroid. After that, T4 replacement will be prescribed. What you need to know about thyroid and irregular periods?

Checking your hormone levels

At the most basic level, Thyroid checkup involves a simple blood test. If you’re not deathly afraid of needles, then maybe it’s not that simple. The results can tell your doctor your T3, T4, Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) and thyroid antibody levels.

If your doctor thinks it’s warranted, he may also do some imaging tests. These tests may include an ultrasound, a CT scan, AKA a CT scan, or a thyroid uptake test, which involves swallowing iodine and finding out how much of your thyroid there is.

Depending on the results of blood tests and imaging, your doctor will be able to tell if your thyroid is working properly, the size of your thyroid, and what may be causing the problems. Other than a small needle prick and some possible fasting, a thyroid checkup is generally painless.

What does my thyroid have to do with my cycle?

Okay. Now to consider why you are here in the first place. What does all this have to do with my cycle? Remember when we said that the thyroid affects every cell in your body? This includes other hormone-producing glands such as the ovaries and pituitary gland.

The ovaries, of course, are directly involved in your reproductive system. They produce Estrogen and Progesterone, which are essential for fertility and regulating the menstrual cycle. When the thyroid isn’t working as it should, it can cause irregular cycles, heavy periods, or amenorrhea, AKA a lack of periods.

The relationship between the thyroid and pituitary, however, is a bit more complicated. Your pituitary gland is located in your brain and is responsible for many different functions, including the release of TSH.

Essentially, this tells your thyroid when to release thyroid hormone. Interestingly, animal research has shown that the pituitary gland also has thyroid hormone receptors. Which means we know that the pituitary gland is targeted and affected by thyroid hormone.

So the pituitary affects the thyroid, which affects the pituitary, which affects the thyroid… You get the idea. But there are more… The pituitary also secretes Follicle stimulating hormone or FSHand luteinizing hormone, or LH, both of which are vital components in maintaining a regular menstrual cycle. So imagine what happens when the thyroid or pituitary gland is not working as it should…

Typical symptoms of thyroid problems

Thyroid problems can have a huge impact on your menstrual cycle. Here are some of the things you might see. Menstruation with Hypothyroidism may occur the following:

Absence or irregular period
Heavy/lighter periods and/or frequent bleeding
Fertility problems/frequent miscarriages

Typical menstrual symptoms of hyperthyroidism include:

Absence or irregular period
Light periods
Fertility problems/frequent miscarriages

This is because both high and low amounts of TSH and thyroid hormones can affect ovarian hormones and ovulation. High TSH levels can stimulate the pituitary gland to release Prolactin, which breastfeeding moms may remember being released when babies breastfeed. And high amounts of prolactin can also cause your body to hit ovulation breaks. That’s part of the reason he can get it several months for breastfeeding women to see their periods return.

In fact, both an overactive and underactive thyroid can cause fertility problems. Women with thyroid conditions are also more likely to miscarry. So you can see that there is considerable overlap between the two conditions. That’s why it’s so important to see your doctor. They can order the appropriate tests and provide a formal diagnosis and treatment plan.

What can you do;

You can control your diet. Thyroid conditions can sometimes seem completely out of control. It’s not like having a food intolerance, where you can alleviate most of the symptoms by avoiding certain foods. In many cases, people inherit thyroid problems or have another condition that affects their thyroid. However, there is one thing you can control that affects every cell in your body: your diet!

When it comes to thyroid conditions, the main thing you’ll want to focus on is your iodine intake. Iodine is a mineral commonly found in seaweed, shrimp, tuna, eggs and dairy products. Iodized table salt is also readily available in grocery stores.

In recent years, iodine has gotten a bad rap, but iodine is essential for your body. This is because you The thyroid uses iodine to make thyroid hormone. So when it’s too much or not enough, it affects your thyroid, of course.

Most people don’t need to worry too much about how much iodine they are getting. But people with thyroid conditions are generally more sensitive to it. Depending on your thyroid condition, your doctor may recommend that you increase or decrease your iodine intake. For example, people with hyperthyroidism may want to limit the amount of iodine-rich foods they eat to ease their overactive thyroid symptoms. The opposite may be true if you have hypothyroidism. Your doctor may encourage you to increase your iodine intake to help your thyroid make more thyroid hormone.

In any case, you should always discuss dietary changes with your doctor and follow their recommendations. It might also be a good idea to get one second opinion from another reliable source for your specific case.