Importance of Tests for Reproductive Health and Thyroid Disorders During Peak Reproductive Years01 Aug 2005
Medical News
Detecting, treating and monitoring the health of women during their peak reproductive years will take center stage at the "Trends in Women's Health Workshop" sponsored by Abbott at the American Association of Clinical Chemistry (AACC) annual meeting in Orlando. For some women who experience difficulty becoming pregnant, an endocrine disorder may be to blame. Common endocrine disorders necessitate testing for diagnosis and treatment monitoring related to a wide variety of hormonal conditions in women.
Thyroid disorders, for example, can affect a woman's ability to become pregnant as well as the health of the mother and developing child both during and after pregnancy. "Women with a family history of thyroid disease or other certain autoimmune disorders should have their thyroid health evaluated before planning pregnancy and again shortly after becoming pregnant," said Paul W. Ladenson, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Director of Endocrinology and Metabolism at Johns Hopkins. "Undetected thyroid disorders can present a number of problems for a mother and child, including an increased risk for premature delivery as well as the risk of impairment in the child's intellectual function." Exhaustion, fatigue and weight gain are a rite of passage to motherhood for many pregnant women. These symptoms, while common, can be signals of thyroid disorders and are often overlooked or misdiagnosed among pregnant women. Additionally, in the weeks and months after pregnancy, symptoms such as insomnia, irritability, anxiety, depression or difficulty losing weight can also indicate a thyroid disorder.
Stacey's comment:
The thyroid is so important with regards to fertility issues. THere are so many couples that come through our clinic and haven't even had their thyroid investigated yet. So if you have not had your thyroid tested these are the blood tests you can speak to your physician about to rule out thyroid issues. These tests are
TSH
free T3
Free T4
thyroid peroxidase autoantibodies (Anti-TPO)
thyroglobulin autoantibodies (Anti-Tg)
(a woman with elevated antibodies in pregnancy is 3 times more likely to develop postnatal depression)
Some physicians may refuse to do these tests and in this case if you are experiencing weight gain, depression, miscarriage, low basal body temperatures (on your temperature chart), insomnia, irritability, anxiety, depression, difficulty getting pregnant, or difficulty losing weight, its likely that your thyroid is involved so I would suggest seeing a different doctor who is more willing to help you investigate this issue and/or find a naturopath that works with thyroid issues frequently and start a natural approach to balancing your thyroid.
This can all be a bit confusing especially since people can have a thyroid issue and the normal tests of TSH or FT3 and FT4 show up within the normal range. Our guideline is that if TSH is not between 1.5 and 2.0 we support that thyroid. Normal levels of TSH in the States have been changed to .3-3.0 which seems to vary depending on where you have the blood test results reported. Another excellent source for thyroid information is www.about.com and search for Mary Solomon or thyroid.
