There are a bazillion reasons why women are unable to conceive and a bazillion more why miscarriages occur. And although we are unable to explore all these reasons, one of the reasons why I love naturopathic medicine is that it allows us to uncover issues that can go unnoticed at first glance.
One of these reasons can be thyroid issues. And in light of thyroid awareness month, I thought it would be good to shine some light on this area – labs to check out when wanting to conceive, and treatment.
Bloodwork assessment:
Thyroid is the gland that runs your basal metabolic rate. It affects pregnancy in that ideal thyroid hormone levels are produced in order to maintain a pregnancy. Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) is in your pituitary gland which comes down and stimulates thyroxine (T4) to be produced. Which then goes into your tissues and converts to T3. Thyroid antibodies – these are little mini (bad) soldiers that choose to attack the thyroid called thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPO). Again, when these are elevated they have been shown to affect pregnancy and can cause miscarriage.
So in short – I ALWAYS (that’s a strong word, yet I’m certain in this situation I can use it) ask women to check their TSH, T4, T3, and TPO prior to conception and/or after miscarriage(s) and/or pre fertility treatments.
Talk to your ND if you have a family history of thyroid disease, have concerns about your thyroid, or experience the symptoms of thyroid disease. We are here to support you at Marda Loop Wellness, connect with us today.
