Wednesday 16 October 2013

Thyroid problem and infertility

Thyroid problem and infertility

Infertility is a problem that is invisible to the society. You will be astonished to know that almost 20% couples are facing infertility issues. It means one of every five couples go to infertility experts for treatment. Almost one third of these cases are contributed by male partners and the same are because of their better half. Remaining one-third cases are termed as unexplained infertility problem where exact cause is unknown.

Out of the many causes of infertility problems, thyroid related issues are quite prominent and therefore,one should take it seriously.

Thyroid and infertility

There is a direct relation of thyroid gland and infertility problem. When couples come to me for infertility treatment, thyroid test is included in the list of primary tests that I prescribe. Thyroxin hormone secreted by Thyroid gland is responsible for the proper functioning of cells in our body.

It is a case when thyroid gland does not produce adequate amount of hormones. We call it Hypothyroidism in the medical terminology. There is a direct correlation of thyroid problem and infertility in women. There are issues like autoimmune disorders or pituitary gland disorders than can cause hypothyroidism. It leads to the problem of infertility.

Undiagnosed or untreated Thyroid disease can cause miscarriages, problems in conception, abnormalities in the fetus or lower fertility levels. Abnormal levels of Thyroid can cause havoc to the female reproductive system. Lower progesterone level, ovulation problems and the other reproductive disorders can occur due to that.

Due to the ill-effects of thyroid problem on the ovulation cycle, it is not possible to determine the exact time for fertilization. Thyroid problem can also cause irregular or heavy menstrual periods, lower sex drive or recurrent miscarriages. In case of males it causes erectile malfunction or low quality of sperms due to low testosterone level. All these are directly responsible for infertility.

Special diagnostics are required

Unfortunately thyroid problem can't be revealed in the routine blood examination and in 80 percent cases; it gets surfaced only when there are specific tests for thyroid like TSH are conducted. It is important that the infertility experts are vigilant enough to suggest for advanced thyroid tests as soon as there is slightest of doubt about it.

Symptoms and cure

The symptoms of thyroid problems are quite misleading and therefore, often ignored by the patients and the infertility experts. Weight gain, joint pain, muscular pain, fatigue, sleeplessness are some of the symptoms.

To cure the problem, it is necessary to know the hormone level by doing TSH blood test, x-ray examination of the chest and T4 or Thyroxin test. Medication can correct the thyroxin levels in the body, but the treatment will require four to six months to correct the problem.Reduction of weight, taking adequate sleep and rest, avoiding stress and tension and regular exercise could boost the effects of medicines.

It is a big challenge for us to identify reasons for infertility in men and women. We ate supposed to look into every aspect carefully because any of them could be the cause.

2 comments:

  1. I completely agree. Thyroid problem often tends to infertility sometimes and very difficult to treat. Also infertility is a big issue for couples who want to conceive early..

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