Thyroid & Infertility
Symptoms, Cause Of Thyroid and Infertility
It is estimated that as many as 1 in 10 couples may experience
infertility, which is defined as the inability to conceive
a child following 12 months of properly timed intercourse.
There are many cases where infertility remains completely
unexplained, but for certain cases, there is a link between
thyroid and infertility. Undiagnosed thyroid disease can potentially
cause difficulty conceiving as well as frequent miscarriages.
Thyroid levels should be checked in both males and females
who are diagnosed to suffer from infertility.
The Connection Between Thyroid and Infertility
There are at least 59 million Americans who are diagnosed
to suffer from some problems with their thyroid. However,
most people, and even some doctors do not understand the relationship
between thyroid and infertility. As a matter of fact, thyroid
issues can make difficult every phase of child bearing, from
conception to pregnancy to breastfeeding and post partum well
being.
There are certain symptoms of thyroid issues. The symptoms
include fatigue and depression, hair loss and weight gain
or loss. Since all these symptoms are also present during
certain phases of pregnancy and are assumed to be associated
with new motherhood, the association between thyroid and infertility
may be undiscovered in certain females, unless patients particularly
request a complete thyroid work up.
However, the combination of thyroid and infertility is a
complicated one that might affect both men and women. In men,
thyroid disease is usually linked with decreased sperm production.
As for the women, thyroid disease can be associated with failure
to ovulate, failure for fertilized eggs to implant, and in
extreme cases, ovarian failure. Ovarian failure is an autoimmune
disease that helps explain the connection between thyroid
and infertility in women, when thyroid levels are not at their
peak, the ovaries may shrivel up and stop producing eggs.
Not only that, it can even lead to premature menopause in
some women.
Most importantly, both hypothyroidisms, which is a condition
when the thyroid isn’t active enough and hyperthyroidism,
whereas is a condition when the thyroid is too active that
can be linked to fertility issues. In order to find out if
a particular couple should be concerned about thyroid and
infertility, their physician should also order a complete
thyroid screen to check for appropriate thyroid function and
to determine whether thyroid antibodies, which are symptomatic
of an autoimmune disorder, are present.
The good news is, for most couples the link issues with thyroid
and infertility can be treated with appropriate treatment,
and full-fertility can be expected and restored. . Current
medical technology allows doctors to help regulate both hypo-
and hyperthyroidism with oral medications. Once the medications
are given a chance to stabilize thyroid functioning, fertility
usually returns almost immediately.
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