Hypothyroidism, Thyroid Disease
Hurricane Sandy, October 2012.
I was living in a condo directly on the Hudson River. When the hurricane passed, I was relieved to be safe from harm, or so I thought, until the severe fatigue, massive hair loss, weight gain, and rapid visible aging began. My body suddenly shifted into perimenopause with abnormal cycles. What was it?
Black mold. A black mold infestation discovered in the heating/air conditioning unit under my window that faced the river.
I’ve learned so much about women’s health from this gynecologist/obstetrician. I’ve been picking her brain for information as I navigate the journey (and boy is it a rocky journey for those of us with thyroid disease) of perimenopause and menopause. [Read more…]
“I lost inches almost immediately. I don’t weigh myself but I’m down 1 1/2 to 2 sizes. My heartburn is significantly less and gas is almost gone.”
However I’ve also heard from a few readers experiencing side effects including fatigue, headaches,muscle cramps, anxiety, nausea, and flu-like symptoms.
I’ve been digging around the internet. It seems that some health experts caution that the ketogenic diet can disturb a woman’s hormones. However I’ve heard from enough women with hypothyroidism of all ages raving about the benefits, to know there must be more to it. According to this double board-certified OB-GYN and Regenerative and Anti-Aging Medicine expert, an ALKALINE ketogenic diet may be the most powerful lifestyle change that women and men can make. [Read more…]
Peri-menopause. Oh how I hate it. It all started for me at age 43 with a major shift in my menstrual cycles and then came the symptoms including major hair loss and what physically appeared as rapid aging of my skin. It threw my thyroid health into a tailspin too and what was once my “sweet spot” for thyroid medication dosage that made me feel great was no longer effective. Finding my new “sweet spot” took a few years but thankfully today at age 47 I feel fantastic again. I know there is more to come as peri-menopause can last 5 to 10 years leading up to menopause, and I know things will shift but as they “knowledge is power”. I will take the bull by the horns with every fall and turn and ensure I come up feeling well again…and I hope the same for you.
[Read more…]
It is not a coincidence that women are particularly vulnerable to develop a thyroid condition at 3 times in their lives – puberty, pregnancy, and perimenopause/menopause. Our sex hormones and thyroid hormones are intricately connected. When our sex hormones shift we are vulnerable to have shifts in our thyroid hormones too and vice versa. Perimenopause and menopause can be more challenging for those of us with thyroid issues.
It’s a challenge too to determine which symptoms are menopause related and which ones are thyroid related. I wonder how many people are told their symptoms are all due to perimenopause or menopause when in fact they are really the result of an undiagnosed or inadequately treated thyroid condition.
Studies like the two I include in the references at the bottom of this article show female sexual issues with thyroid disorders including lowered libido, painful intercourse, impaired orgasm, and reduced vaginal lubrication. This topic is clearly quite complex when it comes to hypothyroid women.
