You may have heard on the grape vine that your thyroid affects periods. However, did you give it any deeper thought?
In fact, it may be the reason your period has gone MIA!
Yep that’s right, another thing to add to the checklist of “why are my periods not regular?”
So what’s the deal…?
Firstly, your thyroid is like super important for all things metabolism and energy. The thyroid is a butterfly shaped gland in the middle of your neck. It is where you would find the “Adam’s Apple” on males. It makes thyroid hormones which communicate to just about every cell in your body.
When it comes to periods, the thyroid communicates with your ovaries and provides them with the necessary cellular energy to ovulate! Think of your ovary as a light bulb, and your thyroid as the switch, turning on your ovary to do its thing and release an egg (turn the light bulb on).
But that’s not the only thing…
The thyroid indirectly impacts the reproductive cycle by:
- Impacting insulin sensitivity and contributing to potential PCOS
- Increasing prolactin levels (the breastfeeding hormone) and prolactin suppresses ovulation
- There are MANY more indirect ways it can affect your cycle, but I’d be writing forever and you’d be reading forever
Your thyroid may run too slow OR too fast, however, in most women, it is more often than not too slow. This is called HYPOthyroidism.
So, how do you know if your thyroid might be running slow?
These are following symptoms to look out for:
- Overly cold hands and cold feet
- Dry hair that breaks easily
- Thinning hair
- Iron deficiency
- Irregular or absent periods
- Inability to lose weight
- Thin and brittle nails
- Night sweats
- Fatigue
- Brain fog
If the above sounds like you, it might be time to head to the GP for some blood tests.
However – here’s the thing. Unfortunately, doctors may tell you they’ll do a FULL thyroid test, yet 9 out of 10 times that is never the case.
Keep tuned on our next blog where we’ll delve into what blood tests you may need and how you can give some TLC to your T-H-Y-R-O-I-D.
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