How the thyroid affects female health

The thyroid affects many aspects of female health, including sexual dysfunction, the ability to conceive, and maintaining a healthy pregnancy (1-3). Autoimmune conditions that affect hormones are connected—including PCOS, thyroid disorders, and endometriosis.

Learn more about the myriad of ways that the thyroid impacts our reproductive health in this guest post from BOOST Thyroid.

Irregular menstrual cycles and PCOS

Both PCOS and an underactive thyroid cause an imbalance in sex hormones, which leads to a disruption in ovulation and changes in menstrual cycle patterns. An underactive thyroid causes an increase in testosterone, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels. This can alter ovulation patterns and may cause irregular menstrual cycles (4).

7 in 10 people who are hypothyroid—but not on thyroid hormone replacement therapy—have irregular menstrual cycles. Once diagnosed and on T4 hormone replacement therapy, menstrual cycles become regular for 5 in 10 people (5).

High levels of anti-TPO or anti-Tg antibodies—a hallmark of an autoimmune thyroid condition—are found in 1 in 3 PCOS patients (6).

Endometriosis

People diagnosed with endometriosis typically present several different antibodies, or immune proteins, common among autoimmune conditions. By definition of autoimmune disorders, these peoples’ immune systems are hyperactive and mistakenly produce immune proteins in response to their own tissue and organs. The specific antibodies that commonly present in endo patients’ blood work indicate that endometriosis is likely an autoimmune disease (7, 8).

There isn’t a lot known about the relationship between endometriosis and thyroid conditions. However, the US Endometriosis Association reported that people diagnosed with endometriosis are six times more likely to have an underactive thyroid (9).

Pregnancy

Your thyroid health is important for every step of pregnancy, from conception to full-term birth.

Being pregnant and having an underactive thyroid or Hashimoto’s requires special attention from your healthcare providers. You should have a few extra blood tests during your pregnancy so that your doctors can make sure your thyroid hormones are well balanced.

Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and T3 activate molecules essential for the implantation of an embryo. Correct levels of TSH, T4, and T3 are needed for successful implantation, as well as a decent balance between T4 and T3.

Once implantation occurs, it’s still crucial for you to have high enough thyroid levels. This is because an embryo requires thyroid hormones to develop, but can’t produce them on its own until the end of the first trimester of pregnancy.

Even when the fetus’ thyroid starts creating hormones in the second and third trimesters, the mother’s thyroid hormone levels are still closely correlated. Insufficient thyroid hormones is connected with increased risks—including preterm birth.

After pregnancy, postpartum thyroiditis (PPT) can affect up to 2 in 10 women. PPT is the occurrence of a thyroid problem (excluding Grave’s disease) in the first year after pregnancy in women who had normal thyroid function before pregnancy (10-14).

Menopause

Menopause is the permanent cessation of the menstrual cycle that women experience once they exit their reproductive years. It’s a normal physiological process as people age and is officially recognized after one year of no menstrual cycles.

The immune system changes during menopause (15). Sex hormone levels diminish, which changes the amount and type of immune cells. This likely triggers the production of molecules responsible for inflammation (16-18).

When going through menopause, our bodies often produce more inflammation-promoting molecules. This can trigger Hashimoto’s in people that previously didn’t have it, or increase the intensity of Hashimoto’s flare-ups in people already diagnosed (19, 20).

Conclusion

Thyroid hormones help maintain the balance of sex hormones. An imbalance of thyroid hormones can disrupt the cyclical levels of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone, which can subsequently lead many different female health diseases (21). Balanced thyroid hormones achieved through lifestyle changes and strategies such as thyroid hormone replacement therapy can improve female reproductive health. If you suspect you have a thyroid condition, bringing this up with your GP or meeting with a specialist is a great place to start.

Tracking your symptoms is an effective and empowering way to take control of your own health and learning what works versus what does not work for your specific body. You can use BOOST Thyroid to track thyroid disorder symptoms, lab tests, and more.

References

1. Dittrich      R, et al. Thyroid hormone receptors and reproduction, 2011
2. Krassas      GE, et al. Thyroid function and human reproductive health, 2010
3. Unuane D,      et al. Endocrine disorders and female fertility, 2011
4. Krassas      GE, et al. Disturbances of menstruation in hypothyroidism, 1999
5. Poppe K,      et al. Female infertility and the thyroid, 2004
6. Janssen      OE, et al. High prevalence of autoimmune thyroiditis in patients with      polycystic ovary syndrome, 2004
7. Gleicher      N, et al. Is endometriosis an autoimmune disease? 1987
8. Nothnick      WB. Treating endometriosis as an autoimmune disease, 2001
9. Sinaii N,      et al. High rates of immune and endocrine disorders, fibromyalgia, chronic      fatigue syndrome and atopic diseases among women with endometriosis, 2002
10. Muller      AF, et al. Postpartum thyroiditis and autoimmune thyroiditis in women of      childbearing age: recent insights and consequences for antenatal and      postnatal care, 2001
11. Di Bari      F, et al. Autoimmune Abnormalities of Postpartum Thyroid Diseases. Front      Endocrinol, 2017
12. Inaba H,      et al. Postpartum Thyroiditis, 2018
13. D.      Andersen SL, et al. Hypothyroidism incidence in and around pregnancy: a      Danish nationwide study, 2016
14. Stagnaro-Green      A. Approach to the Patient with Postpartum Thyroiditis, 2012
15. White HD,      et al. CD3+ CD8+ CTL activity within the human female reproductive tract:      influence of stage of the menstrual cycle and menopause, 1997
16. Gameiro      CM, et al. Menopause and aging: changes in the immune system—a review,      2010
17. Gameiro      C, et al. Changes in the immune system during menopause and aging, 2010
18. Chen Y,      et al. Difference in leukocyte composition between women before and after      menopausal age, and distinct sexual dimorphism, 2016
19. Sammaritano      LR. Menopause in patients with autoimmune diseases, 2012
20. Nussinovitch      U, et al. The role of gender and organ specific autoimmunity. Autoimmun      Rev, 2012
21. Alvergne      A, et al. Is Female Health Cyclical, 2018

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