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Hypothyroidism, Infertility and Iodine

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Author: Sheryl Lyon

You have been trying to have a baby for years. You carefully track your ovulation, you try all the tricks and still no baby. You visit your doctor who runs a battery of tests on you and your partner. Everything looks fine, he declares! No reason you should not be able to have a baby! Unexplained infertility strikes again.

Infertility can be caused by many factors other than the basic reproductive complications that your fertility doctor may look for such as endometriosis or a low sperm count. Infertility can be brought on by toxins, lifestyle, stress, poor health or most likely some combination of these.

One cause of infertility that is often overlooked is thyroid disorders. This tiny gland at the base of your neck can cause serious health complications if it is over or under active. An overactive thyroid is called hyperactive while an underactive one is called hypoactive. Hypoactive thyroid is a very common, yet often undiagnosed condition. Many of the symptoms are vague and can be easily dismissed by a doctor who is not familiar with the warning signs.

Due to the fact that your thyroid is directly linked to your metabolism, one of the first signs of an underactive thyroid is an inability to lose weight or unexplained weight gain. Some hypothyroid sufferers hardly eat at all and still fail to drop a pound. Other symptoms of hypothyroidism are:

• Coarse, frizzy hair
• Outer 1/3 of eyebrows thin or missing
• Pale, dry skin
• Fatigue
• Memory loss and brain fog
• Intolerance to the cold
• Constipation
• Irregular or heavy menstrual cycles
• Irritability and depression
• Joint and muscle soreness
• Decreased sexual libido

As you can see, most of these symptoms are vague enough to be totally overlooked by many doctors except those who are able to put all the symptoms together to see the big picture. This is why millions of cases go undetected while the poor sufferers simply chalk up their symptoms to aging or some other mystery ailment.

This is unfortunate for those trying to conceive. Hypothyroidism can cause menstrual irregularities, decreased sex drive, miscarriage, failure to ovulate, premature childbirth and preeclampsia. Some women experience an autoimmune version of hypothyroidism in which their bodies are producing killer cells which attacks their own tissues (including their own thyroid or an embryo). If you have symptoms of hypothyroidism and have experienced a miscarriage then you should visit a reproductive immunologist because normal thyroid medications will not resolve the underlying autoimmune issue and it is highly unlikely that you will be able to maintain a pregnancy without treatment.

Most women with hypothyroidism can be treated and can achieve and carry a normal pregnancy, however. The trick is getting diagnosed and getting appropriate treatment. Since many doctors will not recognize the symptoms of hypothyroidism, you may need to insist on a thyroid test. The problem is, however that testing for thyroid problems is sketchy at best. Doctors will admit that results can vary wildly from day to day. You may have to insist on more detailed tests from an endocrinologist.

“Your thyroid gland produces two main hormones, thyroxine (T-4) and triiodothyronine (T-3), that influence every cell in your body. They maintain the rate at which your body uses fats and carbohydrates, help control your body temperature, influence your heart rate and help regulate the production of protein. Your thyroid gland also produces calcitonin, a hormone that regulates the amount of calcium in your blood” - Mayoclinic.com

Once diagnosed, there are two different medications that your doctor may prescribe to you. The first is synthetic drug containing thyroxine - T4 only (Levothyroxine) and the second is desiccated animal thyroid (Armour) and contains both thyroxine and triiodothyronine - T3 and T4. Many doctors prefer the T4 only version, but countless women who did not get well on the T3 only finally achieved a normal level of health on the T3-T4 combination.

This still does not help women who fail to obtain an accurate diagnosis of hypothyroidism or women who are diagnosed with a sub-clinical level of hypothyroidism and their doctor will not provide a prescription. Other women are inclined to fix the cause of their thyroid troubles rather than applying the band-aid of prescription medications.

While an under active thyroid can have many causes, one of the primary causes is an iodine deficiency. While iodine is added back into table salt, many women do not use enough salt to prevent a deficiency. Living near the ocean helps prevent iodine deficiency as well but that does not help the millions of women landlocked far from iodine rich soil. Lastly, seaweed, specifically Kelp and Dulse, are fabulous sources of iodine but most Americans do not incorporate seaweed into their diets the way the Japanese do.

Another factor in chronic iodine deficiency in the Unite States is the ridiculously low RDA. The current RDA for iodine in the United States is 0.125 mg while the Japanese regularly consume over 13 mg daily (over 100 times the US RDA) with no ill effects and arguably some of the best health in the world. Click here to learn more about iodine studies, health benefits and why the US RDA for iodine is ridiculous). So even if your daily supplement contains iodine, it does not contain nearly enough to prevent an iodine deficiency.

“The role of iodine in the body goes far beyond its function of making thyroid hormones. Other possible functions include: helping to regulate moods, preventing cancer (especially in breasts, ovaries, uterus, prostate and thyroid gland), preventing and treating fibrocystic breasts in women, helping to regulate blood pressure, helping to regulate blood sugar and prevent and treat diabetes, and helping to prevent abnormal cardiac rhythms.” - Mbschachter.com

Clearly, adequate iodine intake is essential for good overall health in addition to optimal reproductive health. There are many ways to start reversing an iodine deficiency. Some people drink dissolved sea salt and water, others take baths with dead sea salts. You can obviously eat more seaweed and kelp supplements but some seaweed can be contaminated with pollutants. Two items you can pick up at most pharmacies or online, Lugol’s solution(2 drops) and Iodoral, both contain 12 mg of iodine and iodide. Some people paint their feet with iodine or use colorless iodine for a variety of health ailments, including reversing an iodine deficiency. It may take up to three months at 50 mg/day to achieve iodine sufficiency or up to a year at lower doses so this is not a quick fix (unlike prescription thyroid medications). Learn more about how people use it and how it benefits their health at Earthclinic.com

Lastly, iodine deficiencies during pregnancy can cause mental retardation, autism and other birth defects like cretinism. Studies have shown increased intelligence in newborns whose mothers supplemented with iodine during pregnancy. If you are trying to conceive then you need iodine, not only for your thyroid and reproductive health, but to maintain a healthy pregnancy and have a healthy baby. Unless you live on the ocean and eat sushi every day, you might want to consider getting your body iodine sufficient and baby ready.

Check out Mary Shomon’s Interactive Thyroid Quiz
Buy the Book: The Thyroid Hormone Breakthrough

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