LET'S TALK THYROID Y'ALL!
Our thyroid is the conductor of the train when it comes to physiological functions in the body. The thyroid controls our
metabolism
blood pressure
body temp
blood sugar
ovulation
sleep
digestion
detoxification
bone density
mood
Yet the thyroid is NOT given enough credit NOR enough attention in times of dysfunction. ESPECIALLY when you are TTC, the thyroid can seriously make or break your ability to conceive and stay pregnant. Sadly, thyroid dysfunction is often looked over when women are dealing with infertility. Doctors are quick to test TSH, say your levels are “normal" and move on. But there are multiple thyroid hormones and multiple steps they have to go through in order to be used by the body.
TSH is one of the first stops on the train but there are many more after that that simply cannot be just looked over. Before we get into the nitty gritty of what our levels should be, I want to give you a quick overview of how it all works!
Thyroid Function 101:
1. Hypothalamus & Pituitary (in your brain) sense what the body needs more or less of and then sends out hormones to signal more or less. The hypothalamus sends out TRH (tsh releasing hormone) which tells the pituitary to produce TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone).
2. The TSH production signals the thyroid gland to make thyroid hormones using iodine. The main hormone produced will be T4 which is the inactive thyroid hormone.
3.T4 is then transferred through the body by thyroid binding proteins. When it gets to the gut approximately 80% is converted to T3 (mostly in the liver). T3 is the active thyroid hormone which can then be used by our cells.
4. A small portion (about 20%) is converted to reverse T3 which is the inactive form of T3 and blocks thyroid receptors and turns off conversion of T4 to T3 if necessary.
TRH→ TSH → T4→ T3/Reverse T3
If you look at the process to get to T3 you can see how any interruption in that chain would cause issues. Yet doctors only test TSH most of the time. All that tells us is that our pituitary is signaling our thyroid. It doesn't tell us if the thyroid is making enough T4 or if that T4 is getting converted to T3. IF we can't properly convert our thyroid hormones to the active T3 then our cells don't get the thyroid hormones they need to function and run our processes in our body.
So how specifically does the thyroid impact our fertility?
It can cause anovulatory cycles by impeding on healthy ovulation
It can cause luteal phase defect (AKA the corpus luteum not producing enough progesterone after ovulation)
It causes hormonal imbalances because T3 is needed to make our sex hormones
It can increase prolactin levels (which can disrupt ovulation)
Can slow down digestion which can cause us to not properly break down food and absorb the nutrients leading to nutrient deficiencies
Can impede the body's ability to properly detox in the liver causing excess toxins and estrogen to stay in the body
How do you know if your thyroid is working properly?
I urge you to take this SIMPLE assessment!
Take your basal body temperature & resting pulse rate! Use the buttons below for directions on how to do it.
But ideally, Your basal body temp should be above 97.8 and your resting pulse rate should be around 70.
Using these health markers can give us a really solid idea of what is going on with our thyroid because low temps and low pulse are a sign of underactive thyroid!
Some other symptoms of hypothyroid (underactive thyroid) are:
fatigue
hair loss
constipation
sensitivity to cold
weight gain
low libidio
irregular cycles
brittle nails
dry skin
puffy face
cold hands and feet
Some symptoms of hyperthyroid (overactive thyroid) are:
anxious/ nervousness
fast heart rate
difficulty falling asleep
insomnia
hair loss
weight loss
excessive sweating
mood swings
diarrhea
menstrual changes
bulging eyes
How to calculate basal body temps
How to calculate resting pulse rate
So what should my levels actually be?
For fertility purposes… these are OPTIMAL levels for thyroid hormones!
TSH .5-2.0 mU/L
Free T4- 1.4-1.8 ng/dl
Free T3- 3.0-4.0 pg/ml (ideally above. 3.2)
Reverse T3 <15 ng/dl
TPO Antibodies <9 iu/ml
Tg Antibodies <4 iu/ml
Til then, xoxo
