Well, I had my so-called "blood letting" on June 1 as scheduled and they are slowly but surely having results. Today my doctor's office called me with an update. It looks like my thyroid has now been thrown into hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid) and we'll have to probably lower my dosage of Armour.
They also said my testosterone was low. Hmm. Now, when I asked my PCP to test my testosterone (along with a bunch of other hormones that I discussed here) I had no idea how thyroid hormones and testosterone were related.
Initially, it did not surprise me. I tend to have a holistic view when it comes to the body -- everything is connected. If one endocrine gland isn't right, chances are that others aren't quite right, either. Testosterone is a sex hormone created by the testes and the adrenal glands in men, and the ovaries and adrenal glands in women (I haven't posted about adrenal fatigue yet, but I'm in the process, promise! but you'll understand why this is significant in the future). Otherwise, my knowledge gained from past courses of Anatomy and Physiology lent me no immediate understanding, and since I didn't have my books with me, I turned to the internet.
This is what I've found. Low thyroid function is usually paired with low testosterone, and that often times when thyroid production is corrected, testosterone production is also corrected. Now, we all know at least a limited information about steroids, yes? Well, steroids tend to involve testosterone. When athletes take steroids to increase their skill, ability, strength, and etcetera, the influx of the hormone signals the pituitary gland to stop "telling" the testes or ovaries to stop creating testosterone. This causes a dependence on the exogenous hormone. Then, when people go off of the exogenous testosterone they have symptoms that mimic the opposite sex (women grow facial hair, men grow breasts). Granted, this is a very extreme sort, but my point is that going on testosterone hormone is probably not a great plan unless it is determined that the deficiency is directly related to the sex organs.
But why? It seems to have something to do with the pancreas (ANOTHER endocrine organ!) and insulin. "Thyroid hormones regulate the binding of insulin to cell receptors, which facilitates the uptake of nutrients. When the thyroid gland becomes underactive, insulin cannot transfer the signal from the cell receptor to the cell's interior as effectively."(http://www.livestrong.com) This is insulin resistance, which, according to the website posted, has a great deal of affect on LH, or luteinizing hormone (a hormone produced by the pituitary).
LH affects the sex hormones. When LH levels are low, testosterone levels are also low! Symptoms of low LH include low sperm count in men and amenorrhea in women (loss of period). This is also related to hypopituitarism -- low pituitary function. SEE?! EVERYTHING is connected!
I get slightly over excited when I'm looking into all of this. It's incredible how much is involved with our bodies that is ignored so often.
Before I end, let me put this in your mind. Symptoms of low testosterone include: fatigue, loss of muscle strength, weight gain around the abdomen, depression, irritability, loss of body hair, increased risk of osteoporosis, vaginal dryness, decreased libido, painful sexual intercourse, absence of menstruation, heat flashes, anorgasmia (inability to orgasm).
Can I hear a "holy crap?"
Holy. CRAP.
At your last blood test, what labs were drawn for you, hypothyroid-ees?
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