Introduction to The Thyroid Hormone Breakthrough
© 2006 Mary Shomon
As women, we've come to expect that certain things are just inevitable. As young girls, we anticipate -- but at the same time dread -- the first arrival of "Aunt Flo" or "my friend." Then, for the next 30 to 40 years, we assume that PMS, along with erratic cycles, or unusually light or heavy menstrual periods, are simply an unavoidable part of being a woman.
In the meantime, women's magazines and television news programs deliver conflicting messages -- you can get pregnant from just one encounter -- but infertility is on the rise. Teenage pregnancy rates are up -- but if you're a 45 year old celebrity, it's a breeze to give birth to twins. And if you can't get pregnant after trying for a year? Your doctor says you are "experiencing infertility" and you're shuttled off to a fertility expert, for elaborate and expensive workups, after which you will be offered costly procedures and treatments -- everything from hormone treatments to in-vitro fertilization -- to help you have a baby.
When we are pregnant, we assume that morning sickness -- even the kind of morning sickness that goes on all day and night, throughout the pregnancy, leaves you dehydrated, debilitated and losing weight, -- is to be expected. "Morning sickness is a good sign," the old wives' tales say, and our mothers, relatives and friends repeat this mantra, while offering their recommendations for crackers and club soda, as if that will make it better.
And, while we all want to be the celebrity or model who still has an adorable figure with a tiny baby "bump" when we're nine months pregnant, and who gets back into size 4 jeans a few weeks later, baby at her breast, some of us definitely don't fit into that category. We're the ones who, after having a baby, walk around feeling down in the dumps, with our hair falling out, and no energy. And this may be compounded by a horrible feeling of guilt and failure, because we're not making enough milk to properly breastfeed the baby, and need to supplement with formula -- or perhaps we can't even nurse at all.
Many of us also take for granted that we're just not going to have a sex drive like we did when we were young. After watching enough Oprah and Discovery Health Channel, not to mention reading a few women's magazines, who can't recite from memory the dozens of justifications for low libido? Marriage, exhaustion, having children, not enough time, stress...I could go on for pages listing all the reasons for why "losing that spark" is an expected part of life for women.
And let's not forget the hormonal grand finale -- menopause, "The Change." Now that HRT -- hormone replacement therapy -- as we knew it is in the medical doghouse, women are back to assuming that weight gain, hot flashes, night sweats, fatigue, mood swings, vaginal dryness, and low sex drive may be simply an unavoidable part of aging. And just to add to the fun, now we know that menopause is just the official term for the point at which we haven't had a menstrual period for a year. Perimenopause, however, is the time beforehand, when we have all those so-called menopausal symptoms, PLUS erratic and sometimes extremely heavy periods. And it may come as a surprise to you -- because it sure did to me -- but perimenopause can go on for as long as a decade!
Have I depressed you yet? You were already depressed, you say? And sort of stressed out and anxious too? Of course, depression and anxiety disorder are conditions that we also assume are a given in today's modern life. Antidepressants and antianxiety drugs like Zoloft, Prozac, Effexor, and Zyprexa are among the most prescribed medicines in America today.
It may sound hopeless...that women are destined to be victims of our hormones, from our pre-teens into our golden years.
But there's actually hope. And it comes from your thyroid -- a small gland that is very powerful, but very often overlooked when it comes to women's hormonal complaints.
Your thyroid is a bowtie or butterfly-shaped gland located in your neck, below and behind the Adam's Apple area. The thyroid is the master gland of energy and metabolism. The thyroid is also a key player in our complex and interconnected endocrine system, where it interacts with other endocrine glands such as the pancreas, adrenals, ovaries, and pituitary. The thyroid releases hormones, and thyroid hormone rises and falls in concert with other endocrine hormones like insulin, cortisol, estrogen, and testosterone, among others.
When the thyroid is not doing its job properly, there are serious ramifications, as this makes it difficult, if not impossible in some cases, for the entire hormonal and reproductive systems to remain in balance.
This is why an undiagnosed, untreated, or insufficiently treated thyroid condition may actually be at the root of many symptoms and complaints that we assume are, in general, "hormonal."
Before you say, "But I don't think I have a thyroid problem," think again. By even the most conservative standards, there are almost 27 million people with thyroid conditions in the U.S. And, an estimated half of these people are undiagnosed.
And this estimate may just be the tip of the iceberg. Since 2002, experts in the endocrinology community have been calling for changes to the testing values that define "normal" thyroid function. While a minority of doctors already use the new standards for diagnosis and treatment, many practitioners have yet to adopt them. When these changes are eventually implemented across the board in laboratories and doctor's offices around the nation, approximately 59 million Americans will be considered to have thyroid disease.
So, what this means is that, right now, according to the recommended standards, there are as many as 30 million Americans with thyroid conditions of varying severity who don't know even they have a thyroid problem. Millions more have diagnosed and treated thyroid disease, but may still struggle with related symptoms and side effects.
You may have in your mind what many consider the stereotypical thyroid patient...a middle aged, overweight woman. And if that's not you, you might assume you can't have a thyroid condition. Or, you may think that only if you have an enlarged thyroid -- known as a goiter -- or bulging eyes could you have a thyroid problem. You may have even been told by a doctor, as one young mother was, "You can't possibly have a thyroid problem, because if you did, you wouldn't have been able to just have a baby!"
But being of normal weight, having a normal neck or eyes, or the fact that you were able to have a baby do not rule out a thyroid problem.
That's why I've written this book. In The Thyroid Hormone Breakthrough, you'll learn about the thyroid's powerful connection to so many seemingly unrelated hormonal symptoms and complaints, and why this important gland is so often overlooked. You'll learn about the common risk factors for thyroid disease, the symptoms that can help you pinpoint a condition, and how to get properly diagnosed by your practitioner. You'll learn about thyroid treatment, and how it can help these hormonal conditions. AND, you'll learn about related additional treatments, both conventional and alternative, that can help truly resolve many of these symptoms so that you can enjoy a lifetime of better health.
This book is for you if are experiencing any of these hormonally-related problems:
- You're suffering with an erratic menstrual periods that may be very heavy or very light, with cycles as short as every 18 days or as long as every 60 days, lasting anywhere from 2 to 10 days. Thyroid imbalances can cause a whole array of menstrual irregularities, worsening PMS, and other problems -- from your first period as an adolescent, to the final period that signals the onset of menopause.
- You're been unsuccessfully trying to get pregnant, or you've had recurrent miscarriages. You may even undergo expensive and invasive procedures attempting to overcome these problems-- yet thyroid testing has not been done. An undiagnosed thyroid problem may be the real reason you can't get pregnant - and no one is even looking for it!
- You're pregnant, and gaining -- or losing -- a great deal of weight, perhaps even suffering from severe morning sickness, or other debilitating symptoms. Undiagnosed and untreated thyroid problems, and even diagnosed but improperly treated thyroid conditions, can worsen your pregnancy symptoms. Undiagnosed, untreated or insufficiently treated thyroid conditions can also endanger your pregnancy, increasing the risk of miscarriage, intrauterine growth retardation, pre-term labor, stillbirth, and cognitive problems/mental retardation in your child.
- You've recently had a baby, and are having a difficult time breastfeeding, losing the baby weight, you're feeling fatigued, losing hair, and/or suffering post-partum blues. While the benefits of breastfeeding are well-known, and more women are trying this natural way to feed their babies, the fact that thyroid problems can make breastfeeding more difficult is rarely discussed. Undiagnosed or undertreated postpartum thyroid problems are also a key factor behind low milk supply. The post-partum period is a common time when various thyroid problems and symptoms appear.
- You have a low sex drive, or no sex drive whatsoever. We may think this is just the way it is, after being married a few years, having children, or getting older, but libido is closely linked to thyroid function. What you think is just low libido may actually be a symptom of a dysfunctional thyroid.
- You're in your 40s or 50s, and you are having particularly difficult perimenopause or menopause symptoms. Many women assume that symptoms such as fatigue, weight gain, hair loss, anxiety, and depression are "normal" for women approaching or going through menopause. But in reality, this is also a common time for thyroid problems to appear, and the symptoms being attributed to menopause may actually be caused by a treatable thyroid condition.
Before I continue, I'd like to explain my own background. I'm not a doctor or health professional. I have a degree in International Studies from Georgetown University. I never expected to be writing books about thyroid disease, but back in 1995, at the age of 33, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease, the autoimmune condition that causes hypothyroidism. The diagnosis was a turning point in my life and in my career, as I first launched an intensive effort to return to good health myself. Later, I expanded my own research and information-gathering effort into a mission to share this knowledge, and role as a patient advocate. In 1997, I started a popular, patient-oriented Web site on thyroid disease, a site I still run today. In 1998, I launched the only independent print and email newsletters on thyroid health from a conventional and alternative perspective. I've also written a number of books and magazine articles to help people overcome health challenges.
These days, I get hundreds of emails and letters each week from readers all over the world, sharing their stories and looking for solutions to their own thyroid and hormonal health challenges.
And I can relate. Because when it comes to hormonal ups and downs, I've had a few of my own!
In my own case, my Hashimoto's hypothyroidism diagnosis in 1995 launched me into the adventures of hormonal fluctuation -- and not just my thyroid.
I've gone through phases where my periods have been wildly unpredictable, coming every 21 days, and then at other times, every 37 days.
In 1997, at age 35, my husband and I started our efforts to conceive a child, but only after I had a thorough understanding of my fertility cycles, and had my thyroid condition under control and carefully monitored. I'm happy to report that with the extra planning, preparation and knowledge, our daughter was conceived fairly quickly, and was born a happy and healthy 8 1/2 pounds in late 1997. (Don't let anyone tell you that a thyroid problem means you can't have a baby, because happily, my daughter is evidence to the contrary!)
But...there's always a but...I gained 50 pounds in the process. It was a huge struggle to lose the extra weight. My hormones went wild after delivery, setting off a case of the post-baby blues, hair loss, and extreme fatigue. I also waged a six-month touch and go struggle to breastfeed, which I detail here in the book.
I had a second pregnancy at 40, which ended in a miscarriage at 10 weeks. My progesterone levels were simply not high enough to support the pregnancy, apparently. Losing a baby at any point in a pregnancy is such a heartbreak.
Now, at 44, I'm mother to a second child -- we adopted a precious little boy in 2005. It's wonderful, but very tiring, to have a little one again! But the other thing making me tired -- now I'm in perimenopause. Truly, it's a challenge to stay balanced given the ups and downs of my hormones.
So, all along the way, from my efforts to get pregnant more nine years ago, to my current adventures with perimenopause, I've had to immerse myself in information on women's hormones, fertility, pregnancy, post-partum health, the endocrine system in order to understand and meet my own challenges.
The result is this book, written for the millions of you who, like me, are riding the hormonal roller coaster!
Many of you don't even know you have a thyroid problem yet, and for you, I hope this book can provide a roadmap that will help you move quickly through the process of recognizing your symptoms, getting diagnosed, and receiving proper treatment.
There are also many women who, like me, have already been diagnosed and treated for a thyroid condition. But you may not realize that if your thyroid treatment is not the optimized and carefully monitored, you are opening yourself up to a number of hormonal complaints. For example, during the time you are trying become pregnant, and during early pregnancy, proper thyroid treatment and oversight can make the difference between infertility or miscarriage, and a successful pregnancy and healthy baby.
Mandy, a fellow thyroid patient, has been hypothyroid since having radioactive iodine treatment, and describes the full range of unresolved hormonal symptoms she is suffering due to her thyroid imbalance.
I have gained weight. Diet and exercise have produced little positive result. I have uterine fibroids that cause extremely heavy periods. So much so that for at least two days of the month, I am very limited in the activities that I can participate in, as I bleed through double/super protection in 30 minutes. This was not so before thyroid disease. I have a much lower sex drive. My interest level is dramatically different now than during hyperthyroid days. My partner of 10 years is exasperated and is talking about leaving. I became pregnant and miscarried at one point. I do not even entertain the idea that pregnancy is an option for me anymore.
There is no reason that women like Mandy should have to suffer with such a range of symptoms like this!!
I also hope that some of you reading this are practitioners trying to better understand your patients. More than ever, your patients are struggling with the implications of hormonal imbalances. There's a dizzying array of options -- with everything from a birth control pill that lets you have only 4 menstrual periods a year, fertility treatments that allow women to get pregnant well into their 40s and 50s, and pills, powders, and potions that all promise to solve the symptoms of menopause now that the old standby, Premarin, has fallen out of favor.
I can't promise of course that finding and properly treating thyroid disease is the solution for every struggling with PMS, fertility, menopause or other hormonal challenges. But it is a solution for some, and the benefits of getting an undiagnosed thyroid condition properly identified and treated are immeasurable.
Mary J. Shomon
