Menopause and Hypothyroidism

							Title:
Menopause and Hypothyroidism

Word Count:
490

Summary:
Menopause and hypothyroidism have c
ommon symptoms, such as depressed m
ood, decreased energy and decreased
 memory, among others. Discover wha
t can help your hythroid.


Keywords:
menopause,hypothroidism


Article Body:
In the United States, more than 20%
 of the women in menopause are diag
nosed with hypothyroidism - a slugg
ish thyroid. Women need to understa
nd the consequences of menopause on
 the thyroid, as with the increase
in age, more women are affected by
hypothyroidism. Menopause and hypot
hyroidism have common symptoms, suc
h as depressed mood, decreased ener
gy and decreased memory, among othe
rs. Often these symptoms are taken
to be due to menopause, leading to
delayed diagnosis of hypothyroidism.

Hormones in women's bodies are bala
nced delicately and hormonal imbala
nce occurs during pregnancy, perime
nopause, and menopause. In the time
 leading up to menopause, the clock
work menstrual cycles may begin to
become erratic. This could be becau
se of highs and lows in estrogen an
d progesterone.

Hypothyroidism, which is seven time
s more often associated with women
than with men, also occurs because
of hormonal imbalance. Certain doct
ors feel that estrogen dominance -
excess of estrogen combined with lo
w progesterone - typically occurs i
n early perimenopause. They feel re
stricting estrogen dominance preven
ts complications in perimenopause,
including hypothyroidism. In fact,
estrogen is required to be counterb
alanced with progesterone to avoid
hypothyroidism.

Treatment Options of Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism - the under-active t
hyroid is primarily due to the unde
rproduction of the thyroid's main h
ormone - Thyroxine (T4). This hormo
ne has to be converted to the activ
e thyroid - the Triiodothyronine (T
3), by the liver. Then only it can
be effectively utilized by the body
. Different practitioners have thei
r own ways of tackling hypothyroidi
sm.

Most prescribe Synthroid, Levoxyl o
r Levothyroxine - the synthetic T4
- for hypothyroidism. This is fine,
 if women are capable of converting
 this T4 into T3. For others, who a
re poor converters, Cytomel - a syn
thetic T3 - is prescribed to covert
 their low T3.

Many women do not believe in synthe
tic hormones for treating their hyp
othyroidism, and relieve their symp
toms with nutrition, exercise, stre
ss-relieving techniques and such na
tural treatments. Rich nutrition is
 the basis of hormonal balance. Ric
h nutrition should consists of:

·   Multivitamins and/or minerals
·   Essential fatty acids
·   Calcium and/or magnesium
Such essential nutrients, when supp
lementing a healthy eating plan, su
pport the body's endocrine, immune
and other vital systems.

Some doctors recommend using a prog
esterone cream for treatment of hyp
othyroidism. Progesterone, which is
 essential for building many of you
r body's most important hormones, i
s also vital in offsetting estrogen
 dominance, which is one of the mos
t common conditions in perimenopaus
e and hypothyroidism. Application o
f progesterone cream gives an immed
iate relief to the symptoms of hypo
thyroidism.

Women in menopause or perimenopause
 are required to massage about half
 a teaspoon of progesterone cream i
nto their hands and body. It is adv
isable to use twice daily for 21 da
ys, to discontinue for 7 days, and
repeat the procedure. The cream is
required to be massaged on the thig
hs, stomach, inner arms, and the bu
ttocks. It is recommended that you
increase your water intake to avoid
 dehydration.
Many doctors recommend against prol
onged use of progesterone cream aft
er menopause. Short-term use is rec
ommended after menopause, especiall
y when weaning off Hormone Replacem
ent Therapy (HRT).