Overall, thyroid disorders affect more women than men in the population. One reason for this is due to the major hormonal fluctuations during a woman’s life. Pregnancy and menopause, as well as hormone use during contraception and hormone replacement therapy, expose the female body to changing hormonal influences. Since all hormones in the body, including thyroid and sex hormones, work “hand in hand,” so to speak, disorders often occur during or after such changes.
Problems go undetected for a long time
In addition, especially in women, thyroid problems often remain undetected for a long time because the complaints are very general and can sometimes be dismissed as “typical female” mood disorders or menopausal symptoms: Depressive moods, weight gain or loss, hot flashes, sleep disturbances or reduced performance do not always immediately suggest the thyroid gland.
Even if the desired child does not materialize, only a few expect a possible thyroid disorder as the cause. However, the connection between involuntary childlessness and hypothyroidism is very obvious: about 25 percent of women with conception problems have a thyroid dysfunction, with hypothyroidism being the most common (16 percent).
Women with an unfulfilled desire to have children should therefore definitely have the function of their thyroid gland checked with the so-called TSH value. If hypothyroidism is detected and compensated for by taking thyroid hormones, many previously childless women can become pregnant.
Particularly high risk: over 45 years of age and female
In addition to gender, age also plays a major role in thyroid health because the thyroid gland ages early. The transformation process begins as early as between the ages of 30 and 40: the glandular tissue shrinks and degenerates. Nodes, cysts and calcifications can form. The concentrations of hormones from the pituitary gland and the thyroid gland change.
And here, too, seemingly harmless signs of aging are confusingly similar to the signs of a diseased thyroid gland: impaired concentration, loss of performance, slowing of movement and speech, or memory impairment. If these symptoms are not interpreted correctly, a severe thyroid disease often develops.
Current diagnoses in women over 45 years of age without prior treatment in the course of the latest nationwide screening examinations of the Papillon thyroid initiative showed pathological findings for almost half of the participants (48.7 percent). Thus, women scored significantly less favorably than men over the age of 45, where about two-fifths (41.4 percent) of those examined were found to have goiter.
Tips for female thyroid health
Prevent: some thyroid disease can be prevented by optimal iodine intake. Always make sure you have enough iodine in your diet (e.g., sea fish, iodized salt).
Pregnancy and lactation: During pregnancy and lactation, the daily iodine requirement increases by one third – from 180-200 micrograms to 230-260 micrograms per day. During this time, it is advisable to take iodide tablets.
Treat early: The earlier thyroid disease is detected and treated, the better. Contact your family doctor without hesitation if you feel inexplicably unwell and ask for your thyroid to be examined. This mainly concerns the following signs of illness:
- Depression
- Severe increase or decrease in weight while maintaining the same dietary habits
- chronic fatigue
- nervousness, palpitations, sleep disturbances
- Lipid metabolism disorders
- unfulfilled desire to have children
Investigate: Keep a lifelong eye on your thyroid and have thyroid exams at the following life stages:
- When taking estrogen
- before and during pregnancy
- during lactation
- regularly from the age of 45
