The Thyroid, Hormones & Fertility

When working with our clients, we like to look at the big picture.

As Integrative Chinese Medicine Practitioners, we not only use our diagnostic tools to work out what’s causing your symptoms - we also are trained in Integrative Pathology! This means we are great at understanding the implications of blood test results & scans. For our clients, this means getting the best of both Eastern & Western Medicine!

Something we see very commonly in our clinic is thyroid abnormalities.

Your thyroid controls your metabolism & so many of your hormones.
This means thyroid health is important at all stages of life, especially for fertility, pregnancy, postpartum and perimenopause.

Thyroid issues have become increasingly more prevalent and can present as overactive or underactive and the symptoms can be varied and confusing.

Below are the common signs and symptoms of abnormal thyroid levels, pathology tests needed and foods to avoid or reduce if your thyroid is out of balance.

Symptoms of HYPERthyroidism

An overactive thyroid is called Hyperthyroidism. It can be seen in the following symptoms:

· Rapid or irregular heartbeat

· Nervousness

· Anxiety

· Irritability

· Mood swings

· Weight loss

· Heat intolerance

· Fatigue

· Insomnia

· Hand tremors

· Muscle weakness

· Palpitations

· Goitres

· Thyroiditis

· Graves’ disease

Symptoms of HYPOthyroidism

An underactive thyroid is called Hypothyroidism can cause/include the following symptoms:

· Weight gain

· Depression

· A slowed heart rate

· Heart palpitations

· Dry skin, hair and a nails

· Hair loss

· Insomnia

· Constipation

· Irregular menstrual cycle including infertility

· Sensitive to cold

· Low basal body temperatures (consistently below 36.5C)

· Autoimmune Hashimoto’s disease

What is a Thyroid?

The thyroid is a small gland at the base of the throat that looks like a butterfly and regulates the metabolism. The pituitary gland sends TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) to the thyroid to produce the hormones T4 (thyroxine) and T3 (triiodothyronine). T4 is the stored inactive form of hormone which is converted to the active hormone T3 that tells the body how much energy to produce.

How do I test my thyroid?

Measuring TSH, T3 and T4 levels in a blood test will tell you about your thyroid’s health. TSH tested on its own is not sufficient as a healthy range TSH may be hiding masking an abnormal level of T3 or T4.

Testing for thyroid antibodies such as TPOab, TGab, TSH-Rab can rule out an early autoimmune condition EVEN with a normal TSH level. Especially important to test for fertility as elevated levels can be a miscarriage risk.

Pathology tests in Australia will generally regard normal ranges of TSH levels to be between 0.3 – 5.5mu/L depending on the laboratory. Ideal levels are 0.5-2.0mu/L, especially for fertility. You want to start with TSH between these ranges and not too high as it will increase naturally in pregnancy.
Your doctor can run all of these tests, especially important if you have the above symptoms or have a family history of thyroid abnormalities.

You can also easily test these privately - with no doctors referral necessary!

How to care for your thyroid

• Avoid gluten, refined sugar and soy products

• Reduce amounts of cooked brassicas (avoid raw).
  This wide variety of vegetables contain thyroid-disrupting goitrogens when cooked become more stable and may be eaten in small amounts including: broccoli, kale, turnip, mustard, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cassava, cabbage

• Initial thyroid imbalances find benefits from removing fluoride, maintaining adequate amounts of iodine, selenium, minerals and antioxidants

• If there’s an autoimmune component to your thyroid imbalances, Autoimmune Paleo can be very helpful

We hope this info on Thyroid Health helps!

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