Thyroid and Infertility
Struggling to Conceive? Your Thyroid Could Be the Culprit
If you are like most people, you probably don’t take the time to think of your thyroid gland – you know, that small gland found in front of our neck shaped like a butterfly. But this gland is responsible for helping us function every day by supplying us with energy to help us go through our day-to-day tasks. When it malfunctions, you can definitely feel its effects and one of them is infertility.
Countless women who suffer from infertility fail to take their thyroid health into consideration. Infertility encompasses many aspects of our health such as weight, level of activity, food intake, alcohol use, and even age. But our thyroid health also greatly contributes to fertility. Thyroid issues such as hypothyroidism can actually affect ovulation cycles. If you are battling infertility, one of the things you should look into is how your thyroid is functioning.
Underactive thyroid leads to the low release of thyroid hormones. This will then, in turn, prevent your reproductive system from ovulating properly. It interferes with the ability of the ovary to release eggs.
It’s actually more common than you might think. Many women deal with infertility with undiagnosed thyroid problems.
How Do You Know Your Infertility Is Caused by Thyroid Problems?
The best way to know if you have thyroid problems that are affecting your ability to conceive is through proper testing. The tests will determine if your thyroid is producing normal levels of hormones. However, there are also tell-tale signs of thyroid problems such as the following:
Irregular menstrual cycles
Since the thyroid is responsible for regulating the progesterone levels in the body, it has a direct effect on your menstrual cycles. Having low levels of progesterone can lead to irregular cycles. If your menstrual cycles constantly change or you tend to experience shorter or longer cycles, you might want to look into your progesterone levels as this could be the culprit.
Unusually heavy or light bleeding or shorter or longer bleeding time are also indicative of malfunctioning progesterone.
- Chronic fatigue
Do you feel tired all the time? Do you wake up in the morning after 8 complete hours of sleep expecting to feel energized and refreshed but feel lethargic instead? Do you often feel droopy and exhausted even when the day isn’t half over yet?
There are a lot of reasons why you could be suffering from chronic fatigue but thyroid problems are often at the center of it all. - Your muscles feel achy
You haven’t been to the gym in ages and you haven’t done anything strenuous but your muscles feel tired, sore, and achy all the time. This is another possible sign that you are having thyroid issues. - Your skin and hair feel dry and lifeless
No matter how many haircare products you use, you still can’t get your hair to bounce and shine just like those you see in commercials. As a result, you might always find yourself constantly seeking for new hair care products to try. But have you looked into the underlying cause of your hair’s lifeless condition? It could be your thyroid gland messing up your hair. - You tend to get cold easily.
A strong breeze sends you reaching for a sweater because you can’t tolerate even a slight chill in the air. If this is unusual for you, delve deeper because it could be your thyroid system acting up.
Can You Get Pregnant If You Have Thyroid Issues?
If you have been diagnosed with a thyroid problem, all hope is not lost. It’s still possible to conceive and have a smooth pregnancy once your thyroid issues are corrected and properly treated. One study backs this up. About 76% of women found to have hypothyroidism and have undergone treatments for this condition were able to successfully conceive.
Seek the Help of an Endocrinologist
The first thing that you should do is to get yourself checked. Find out what thyroid disorder you are dealing with so that the right treatments will be provided to you. It’s important to have a treatment plan tailored to your specific needs. Talk to your primary healthcare provider about your plans of conceiving as well. Follow the treatment protocol that your primary physician and fertility team will recommend.
Manage Your Condition Through Proper Diet
How many times have we heard of the old adage “You are what you eat”? And in the case of thyroid and infertility, it rings true. A proper diet can help manage or even reverse this condition.
Seeking the help of a certified fertility registered dietitian nutrition can be your first step to determining what dietary changes you need to make. If your diet is composed of unhealthy foods, don’t be surprised to find your body acting up.
Try to cut out these foods from your diet and you can see a dramatic change in your energy levels, skin and hair health, and even your disposition.
A fertility registered dietitian nutritionist will recommend eating foods rich in the nutrients you are deficient in and a targeted nutrition plan supporting your thyroid health.
Talk to your fertility registered dietitian nutritionist as well about how you can integrate foods that contain Tyrosine in your diet. This nutrient is found in eggs, turkey, and seaweed, and is vital when it comes to regulating hormones.
Try following the Mediterranean way of eating as well, which is eating more fresh vegetables, lean meat, poultry, and fish and cutting back on processed and sugary food. Salmon is a great source of vitamin D, which is what many people today tend to lack. Studies even confirm that people with hypothyroidism tend to be diagnosed with low vitamin D levels.
The Mediterranean diet for fertility is delicious, so it doesn’t feel like you are on a diet at all. It’s a way of life for many people who have adopted this diet. The Mediterranean diet for fertility will not make you feel like you are depriving yourself.
Don’t forget your antioxidants as well. They are found in various fruits and vegetables and they are necessary for fighting oxidative stress. It can help with inflammatory problems and control the effects of hypothyroidism.
Conclusion
Don’t let your thyroid give you a hard time. Start taking proactive measures to treat your thyroid condition and you can increase your chances of overcoming infertility.
How Can Holness Nutrition Help You?
It sucks to know that your thyroid isn’t functioning as well as you want it to. But this doesn’t have to be the case for you all the time. It is still possible to heal your thyroid without putting yourself up to rigorous medications. Give yourself a fighting chance for recovery by choosing a holistic and natural approach to healing. A Fertility Support Team headed by Nicole Holness, a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist can help you get your body back on track. Nicole has helped many women going through infertility through dietary changes and other natural fertility methods. Book a free consultation now.