Suboptimal Thyroid Function in Perimenopause

Jan

Suboptimal Thyroid Function in Perimenopause

filed under: Hormones, Perimenopause, Thyroid Health

Thyroid hormone is one of the most misunderstood hormones.

It’s so misunderstood that as many as 60% of women who have a thyroid issue don’t even know it!

This is important because suboptimal thyroid function is especially common in perimenopause.

What is the thyroid?

The thyroid is called the “butterfly” gland due to its shape. It’s located in the area of your neck just below the Adam’s apple.

It’s part of your endocrine system and regulates your metabolic rate. In short, your thyroid exerts a significant effect on the function of nearly every organ in your body.

Signs of suboptimal thyroid function

If your thyroid is not working at optimal function, here are some possible signs:

1. Exhaustion

Do you struggle to pull yourself out of bed in the morning? Do you feel like you’re in a fog all day long? Although exhaustion is not solely linked to suboptimal thyroid function, it is a very common sign.

2. Forgetfulness

Again, forgetting where you put your keys cannot be attributed to suboptimal thyroid function alone, however it’s hard to keep things straight when you feel like you’re in a fog all day long.

3. Mood Problems

Suboptimal thyroid function can affect your mood, causing depression and fatigue.

4. Feeling Cold

Think of your thyroid as your body’s thermostat. When it isn’t functioning optimally, you will often feel cold, even in warmer temperatures.

5. Weight Gain

Your thyroid controls your metabolic rate, so stubborn weight gain is a common side effect of suboptimal thyroid function.

6. Constipation

Sluggish thyroid, sluggish everything! Including your bowels, unfortunately.

7. Irregular Periods

Too little thyroid hormone can make your periods light, heavy, irregular, or even absent all together!

8. Thinning Hair

Thinning scalp hair is a frustrating side effect of suboptimal thyroid function. In addition, it can also cause hair loss on the outer 1/3 of eyebrows.

9. Dry Skin

Your skin is your largest organ and it’s not surprising that it can reflect imbalances occurring inside the body. Suboptimal thyroid function can cause changes in the sweat glands and lead to dry skin.

10. Brittle Nails

With suboptimal thyroid function, your body’s energy and resources are channeled to larger, more important organs, while decreasing blood flow to the extremities. In addition to cold hands and feet, brittle nails are a common sign.

What’s the difference between suboptimal thyroid function and hypothyroidism?

Many women who experience the above symptoms end up being diagnosed with hypothyroidism.

But others struggle with these issues and are told their thyroid labs look normal.

That can happen because the normal lab ranges are not necessarily optimal or because not all forms of thyroid hormone have been looked at in the test.

It’s possible to have suboptimal thyroid function even if your routine thyroid labs look “normal.”

How can this be?

Let’s break it down:

Your thyroid gland produces 2 active forms of thyroid hormone that circulate through your body:

T4 (thyroxine)
T3 (triiodothyronine)

Even though your body makes much more T4 than T3, your T3 is about 4 times as powerful and considered an even more active form. Your body can also produce reverse T3 (rT3), which can actually block thyroid function.

The most common screening test for thyroid function is TSH. Even when that falls within the lab’s normal reference range, here are some possible scenarios to explain suboptimal thyroid function:

Insufficient production of T4
Insufficient conversion of T4 to T3
Increased production of reverse T3 (rT3)

That’s why—if you are struggling with unexplained exhaustion, brain fog, constipation, dry skin, hair loss, brittle nails, or any other signs of thyroid imbalance—it’s so important to have your doctor run a more comprehensive panel of thyroid tests.

What causes suboptimal thyroid function?

Here are just a few of the possible root causes:

Exposure to environmental toxins (many chemicals disrupt thyroid function).
Autoimmunity (antithyroid antibodies can be detected in many women with suboptimal thyroid function)
Undereating or Overexercising (your thyroid controls your metabolism, so your lifestyle can throw it out of whack)
Stress (the stress hormone cortisol can disrupt thyroid function)
Nutrient insufficiencies (more on this below!)

Nutrients for optimal thyroid health

Let’s take a look at some of the most important nutrients for thyroid health.

Tyrosine. L-tyrosine is an amino acid present in many protein-rich foods. Your body can also make it from other amino acids. Tyrosine is a building block required for the synthesis of thyroid hormone.

Iodine. Iodine is a trace mineral in seaweed, seafood, and iodized salt. It binds with tyrosine as another essential building block of thyroid hormone.

Selenium. Selenium is a trace mineral found in especially high amounts in Brazil nuts. Your thyroid gland concentrates more selenium than any other organ of the body. Selenium acts as an antioxidant and also supports thyroid hormone production.

Zinc. Zinc is a mineral found in meats and many other foods. It supports enzymes involved in thyroid hormone production and function.

This is not an exhaustive list of nutrients needed for thyroid function. You also need B vitamins, vitamin A, vitamin E, iron, and more. One of the best ways to get the range of nutrients your thyroid needs is through a nutrient-dense diet.