Thyroid Troubles: Understanding Its Influence on Menstruation

Even though the thyroid gland is located in your neck, it still has a significant impact on your reproductive health. As an important part of the endocrine system, over activeness or under-activeness of the thyroid gland can lead to period irregularities. So, the short answer is yes, thyroid disease affects your periods. However, there’s more to it than meets the eye. How does the thyroid affect your periods? And what can you do if your thyroid is affecting your menstrual cycle? Let’s answer all those questions and more in this deep dive on hypothyroidism and periods.
 

How Does Thyroid Affect Periods?

The thyroid gland is connected to the ovaries in the female body. The thyroid hormone indirectly interacts and works with the sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG). The SHBG hormone works to transport sex hormones throughout the body through blood. If you have thyroid disease, the functionality of the SHBG hormone is affected indirectly, which leads to period irregularities and other symptoms. Here are some of the symptoms that women with thyroids are expected to face.

• Increased pain during periods
• Heavier or lighter periods based on the type of thyroid you have
• Period irregularity with even missed periods altogether
• Problems with fertility and ovulatory dysfunction
• Frequent periods with shortened cycle length

These are some of the most common symptoms that you will experience, if you have thyroid disease. It should be noted that both hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism have different effects on your menstrual cycle. So, let’s explore how the Hypothyroid and Hyperthyroid impact your menstrual cycle.

Effects of Hyperthyroidism on Menstrual Cycle

• Increased risk of miscarriage
• Problems with ovulation leading to missed periods 
• Period irregularity
• Shorter length of periods
• Lighter flow during your periods

Effects of Hypothyroidism on Menstrual Cycle

• Heavy menstrual bleeding that lasts longer than your regular periods
• Shorter cycle length with periods occurring even less than 28 days before your previous period
• Missed periods with no explanation
• Unexplained infrequency in menstrual cycles
• Increased risk of miscarriage and infertility

Effect of Thyroid Hormone on Menstruation

When it comes to the effect of thyroid hormone on menstruation, here are some of the ways it affects women. Having thyroid disease can cause an increase in your body weight, which would increase your risk for conditions like PCOS and PCOD. These conditions can have adverse effects on your reproductive health.  Fertility and ovulation can also be affected due to the problems in your thyroid gland, which could lead to miscarriages or difficulty conceiving. Apart from that, the effects on your menstrual cycle have already been discussed. Overall, it should be noted that while all of these symptoms are possible, they are more common among women with severe cases of thyroid problems. 

Early detection of thyroid can help women manage the condition before the symptoms emerge. So, let’s review how you can opt for thyroid irregular periods treatment.
 

What Can You Do For Thyroid Irregular Periods Treatment?

The first and most important thing for you to do would be to talk to your doctor about your period irregularities. In most cases, they would ask you to go through some tests to determine the underlying cause for your irregular periods. Once it has been established that the condition is being caused by an overactive or underactive thyroid gland, the treatment can be planned accordingly. Based on whether you have hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism, the treatment for irregular periods will differ. Let’s review the different treatment options used for treating this condition.

Hypothyroidism Treatment

If you have hypothyroidism, here are some of the common treatment options doctors will recommend to treat your period irregularities.

• Hormone Replacement Therapy: Hormone replacement therapy is recommended for people with hypothyroidism as it replenishes the amount of thyroid hormone that should be optimal in your body. Hormone replacement therapy is an optimal solution for hypothyroidism and it doesn’t have side effects. Levothyroxine is commonly prescribed to patients commonly going through hormone replacement therapy.
   
• Active Monitoring:  Active monitoring involves regularly checking for thyroid levels to know that the hormonal replacement is working appropriately. It is also done to check if the replaced hormone is prescribed in the right amounts or not. With active monitoring and HRT, it is possible to manage hypothyroidism and the negative impact it has on your health.
   
• Lifestyle Changes: Lifestyle changes include dietary changes to incorporate the right amount of fiber, carbohydrates, fat, and proteins in every diet. On the other hand, doctors will also recommend you to exercise regularly and practice destressing to improve your 

Hyperthyroidism Treatment

If you have hyperthyroidism, here are some of the common treatment options doctors will recommend to treat your period irregularities.

• Medication: Medication for hyperthyroidism includes antithyroid drugs, which are used to manage the levels of thyroid hormone in your body. The drugs stop your thyroid gland from producing any more hormones, which helps reduce the levels in your system.
   
• Beta Blockers: Beta blockers are medicines that help you manage the symptoms associated with hyperthyroidism. These medicines do not manage the hormone levels in your body and as such are only used in combination with other medication to help manage the symptoms.
   
• Thyroidectomy: In complex cases, surgery is often recommended for thyroid patients. Thyroidectomy is a surgery that’s commonly prescribed. It works by removing your thyroid gland from the body. However, if you go through the surgery, you will need to go for thyroid hormone replacement therapy for the rest of your life.
   
• Radioactive Iodine Therapy: It is a therapeutic treatment aimed at damaging the thyroid gland cells intentionally. The damage to thyroid gland cells would force the body to produce less thyroid hormone. In some cases, this treatment is even used to induce hypothyroidism in patients. Even though it is a non-invasive procedure, it still has certain risks, so you must talk to your doctor before going through with it.

Conclusion

Now you know the answer to Does thyroid affect periods and the effect of thyroid hormone on menstruation. If you want to learn more about the thyroid or how it affects bodily functions, feel free to check out MASSH. Our team of specialists are ready and able to help you diagnose thyroid and its related health problems as early as possible. With our state-of-the-art modern treatment options, you will be able to treat thyroid and its symptoms easily. We specialize in both minimally invasive surgeries and therapeutic treatments for thyroid disease. For more information on thyroid treatment, check out our website or visit us today to consult our doctors.