Childlessness: Sometimes the thyroid is to blame
Larissa Melville completed her traineeship in the editorial team of . After studying biology at Ludwig Maximilians University and the Technical University of Munich, she first got to know digital media online at Focus and then decided to learn medical journalism from scratch.
More about the experts All content is checked by medical journalists.MunichAn unfulfilled desire to have children leaves many couples in despair. What is less well known is that thyroid dysfunction can also affect women's reproductive health. Apparently, this also applies to doctors: an examination of the thyroid gland is not a matter of course, even in the case of involuntary childlessness.
“A malfunction of the thyroid gland can have a negative effect on fertilization. It can also increase the risk of miscarriages and complications in pregnancy and in newborns, ”explains Amanda Jefferys of the Bristol Center for Reproductive Medicine.
The researcher and her team have compiled the results of various studies. They determined how many women with and without fertility problems have a thyroid disease.
The analysis showed that 2.3 percent of women with an unfulfilled desire to have children suffer from an overactive thyroid. In the general female population, however, it is only 1.5 percent. Many of these women no longer have a normal menstrual cycle, which makes them less likely to conceive. Hypothyroidism is less common: 0.5 percent of women of childbearing potential are affected. These women also have menstrual problems. In addition, they sometimes fail to ovulate.
Unrecognized problem
Fertility disorders have long been associated with thyroid diseases, but the national guidelines do not contain any recommendations for routine examinations - not even for women who do not want to have children.
The study's authors want to change that. For all women who do not become pregnant or who have had repeated miscarriages, they request a thyroid exam. In addition, they are also considering routine checkups for all pregnant women.
Pregnant women with thyroid dysfunction should seek treatment and be well monitored during pregnancy, the authors add.
Versatile organ
The thyroid produces the hormones thyroxine and triiodothyronine. These are particularly important for regulating growth, metabolism and child development. If the thyroid gland produces too many hormones, it is called overactive (hyperthyroidism). Those affected have an accelerated metabolism and often suffer from restlessness, insomnia, palpitations, increased thirst and lose weight. But an underproduction of thyroid hormones (hypothyroidism) also has a negative effect on the body: the metabolism slows down and the ability to perform and concentrate decreases. Many sufferers complain of fatigue.
Sources:
Amanda Jefferys et al .: Thyroid dysfunction and reproductive health. The Obstetrician & Gynecologist. doi: 10.111 / tog.12161
Press release from WILEY, January 23, 2015
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