It is beginning to be widely known that women’s ailments and women’s pain has been treated fairly poorly by Western medicine over the centuries. The reason for it is as unbelievable as it is farcical. Doctors did not know how to treat women for two main reasons: the second was that as ‘the weaker sex’ women tended to hysteria and nerves, and often exaggerated their symptoms and could be disregarded for much of the time. The first is that medical anatomical models were almost invariably male! This has meant that many women have suffered fatigue, pain and other chronic symptoms, both mild and severe, for years, with their requests for help or treatment dismissed as being a result of their age or their weight or simply, as non-existent!
Thyroid problems can affect both sexes at any stage in life, but it tends to flare up in women in particular, after pregnancy and during and after menopause. Let us take a look at some common thyroid symptoms that women can be subject to.
Menstrual Issues
Your thyroid gland controls your cycle, and too much or too little of the right hormone being released can make periods light or non-existent or distressingly heavy and painful. You may stop having periods for a few months at a time or become very irregular. Almost worse than this, if your thyroid disease is caused by a malfunction in your immune system, you may find that other glands are involved too – such as your ovaries, in which case you may suffer from premature menopause with its accompanying loss of fertility and libido.
Fertility Problems
If you are trying to get pregnant and struggling, it may be because your thyroid, which is meant to help you ovulate regularly, is not working as smoothly as it should. The thyroid is in control of your ovulation, and any issues may be slight, but enough to interfere with your plans to be a mom.
Pregnancy Difficulties
Being pregnant is like being under attack as floods of hormones engineer an entire new human being inside you, channeling nutrients, stretching out your muscles and tendons preparatory to giving birth, and transforming your breasts from secondary sexual organs into efficient milk producers, amongst many hundreds of chemical, physical and hormonal changes. If your thyroid is not working properly, this can have the same effect as having an ineffective general at a crucial battle in the war! Supplies go astray, lines of communication go down, and the battle is generally much harder than it should be!
Thyroid or The Change?
Thyroid issues can often occur just as menopause is beginning – there is a period of six to ten years called the perimenopause, during which time your body stops ovulating and menstruating, and, basically, readies itself for retirement. This can cause a number ofsymptoms: hot flushes, night sweats, tiredness and mood swings. Unfortunately, many of these symptoms are exactly those of thyroid issues meaning that women are reassured that what they are going through is merely menopause-related, when in fact, it is thyroid related, and a quick prescription for thyroxine, filled by the International Pharmacy, could give them years more of physical well-being before the actual arrival of the menopause.
If you are exceptionally tired, feel ill, and have any issues with your period, fertility or pregnancy, do feel that you can and should ask to have your thyroid levels checked. It is estimated that some 15 million women have untreated thyroid disease, simply because their doctors have not performed the simple blood test that will provide a diagnosis. Make sure you are not one of them!
