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Hypothyroid & Menopause

As menopause approaches, women experience a change in their normal hormonal levels. Hypothyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid does not produce enough thyroid hormones, and it tends to show up more frequently in women who are older and approaching menopause. Understanding and recognizing the symptoms of menopause and its relationship to hypothyroidism can help women make informed decisions about when to seek medical help.

  1. Menopause

    • Women normally begin to naturally enter into menopause between the ages of 40 and 58, during which time estrogen production decreases. Estrogen plays a large part in circulation, bone density, skin and brain health. Many women begin to experience side effects of this decreasing hormone such as weight gain, hot flashes, difficulty sleeping, muscle aches, dry skin and depression. Menopause can also be brought on surgically if a woman's ovaries are removed at any age past puberty. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy of the pelvis can also damage ovaries and induce early menopause.

    Hypothyroidism

    • The thyroid gland produces two types of hormones that are responsible for the health of many major organs in the human body. Thyroid hormones ensure the circulatory process is healthy by keeping blood vessels flexible. These hormones also influence bone density, heart activity and metabolism. When the thyroid gland is not producing the proper level of hormones, the body exhibits symptoms such as muscle fatigue, dry skin and depression. Additionally, metabolism relies heavily on the thyroid gland and lack of these important hormones shows up as weight gain and a feeling of sluggishness.

    Diagnosis

    • Since the symptoms of menopause and hypothyroidism are often similar, many women are not tested for a thyroid disorder even when treatments for menopause symptoms are ineffective. Conversely, many women who are experiencing the symptoms of hypothyroidism may attribute them to menopause and not seek treatment at all. Untreated hypothyroidism can result in hypertension, anemia, headaches and a rare condition called myxedma coma, which causes urine retention and seizures.

    Studies

    • The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists has reported that of women seeking help for menopause symptoms, only one out of four were tested for thyroid diseases. A 2008 study by the Hospital de Especialides in Mexico concluded that changes to estrogen levels are associated with changes to the function of the thyroid gland and directly relate to production of thyroid hormones.

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