Hashimoto’s Disease and Fertility

As a companion to QuaShawnda’s episode, Mary dives into Hashimoto’s Disease and how it affects fertility. It is very important to solve thyroid problems before conceiving a baby. If Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis is left untreated, symptoms of an underactive thyroid can worsen and cause fertility problems including: menstrual cycle issues such as menorrhagia (heavy menstruation) or irregular periods, low basal body temperature (BBT), low libido, muscle cramps/tenderness, hair loss, severe PMS, sleep disturbances and weight gain, problems getting pregnant and infertility, miscarriage, preterm birth and even neurodevelopmental issues for your baby. Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, also known as Hashimoto’s Disease (and frequently just referred to as Hashimoto’s) is an inflammatory autoimmune disease. Autoimmune diseases are accompanied by an elevated inflammatory response due to the body identifying various organs and systems of the body as a foreign invader. This immune system attack may lead to the loss of, and degeneration of tissue and/or organ structure and function. What to Consider Eliminating from Your Diet… * Gluten – “The gluten molecule is very similar to thyroid tissue, and it is thought that the immune system identifies the thyroid gland as gluten and attacks it.” * Non-organic dairy – non-organic dairy contains the synthetic growth hormone rGBH which has been found to increase inflammation in humans (even those without autoimmune diseases). * Aspartame – research is showing Aspartame to be problematic for the thyroid gland. * Unsaturated oils – doctors speculate that these oils may contribute to hypothyroidism possibly in part because they contain high amounts of omega-6 fatty acids which promote inflammation and are often rancid even before they make it to the grocery store shelf. * Soy – soy isoflavones are known to disrupt endocrine system function and may lower concentrations of the thyroid hormone T3. It would be best to consult your doctor or naturopathic doctor to run a thyroid panel to establish a baseline and a diagnosis before starting any supplementation. This episode was brought to you by Fertility Fundamentals. Fertility fundamentals is a naturopath led collective of women supporting each other in their fertility journey. Join the collective for free at www.facebook.com/groups/fundamentalfertility and come join your tribe! If you enjoyed today’s episode, subscribe to the Fertility Stories podcast and leave a review.