Thyroid Disorders and Infertility
Normally when talk about infertility, it is always associated with problems of the fallopian tube, sperm count or sperm motility. Rarely do people think that having problems with the thyroid gland can lead to infertility, or at least thyroid disorders will make it difficult for the woman to conceive.
The thyroid gland is located in the neck, just under the Adam’s apple. It is responsible for secreting two important hormones, namely thyroxine and triiodothyronine, which help to regulate the proper functioning of the body.
There are primarily two types of thyroid disorders — hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism. In hyperthyroidism, the thyroid gland becomes underactive and does not secrete sufficient amounts of hormones. As a result the body processes become sluggish and slow. Women who suffer from hypothyroidism have many symptoms including weight gain, fatigue, muscular pain, problems with the digestive system, heavy menstruation and long menstrual cycle. Heavy menstruation causes the body to lose a lot of blood and this can result in anemia and depletion of vitamins, which reduce the chances of conception. So also with weight gain.
An over active thyroid gland leads to hyperthyroidism. Here the thyroid process hormones in excess and the woman ends up suffering from fatigue, weight loss, light menstruation or no menstruation, palpitations and increased heart rate. The fact that menstruation stops, points to cessation of ovulation and therefore, infertility.
There are medications available to help overcome the problems of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism. Taking proper medication thyroid disorders will improve your chances of getting pregnant. There are other invasive procedures to help reduce the size of the thyroid gland but invariably you will still have to take medication.
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