Homeopathy
Post by Dr. Tejal Daftary, Nov 19, 2019.

PCOs and Hypothyroidism

With our current lifestyle and stress we have started suffering from a lot of life lifestyle related disorders either at very young age or with stubborn symptoms, where body is unable to heal. Let’s talk about two such disorders affecting more than 60 percent of women of all age groups.

PCOs and Hypothyroidism. Bells ringing, have we not found the two disorders either affecting simultaneously or one after the other.

You see, there is a close link between PCOS and hypothyroidism. And the symptoms of both can overlap and look similar. You may also be doing all of the right things to manage your PCOS and not see any results because you may have an underlying thyroid issue that you need to address first.
So, lets  first know what is thyoid and symptoms of an underactive thyroid.

What is thyroid?

The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in your neck. It is also one of the biggest endocrine glands in the body.

So WHAT are the functions of THYROID :

Well, it’s main job is to control the rate of metabolism, or how quickly (or slowly) your body uses energy. It is also involved in making proteins and it controls the body’s sensitivity to other hormones.

So, if your thyroid gland is overactive, Hyperthyroidism, you tend to be slimmer, have a higher heart rate, trouble sleeping, mood swings and anxiety.

An underactive, Hypothyroidism, thyroid makes you gain weight and feel generally more sluggish. Women with PCOS are more prone to hypothyroidism so let’s have a look at that in a little more detail.

Hypothyroidism

The thyroid gland is controlled by another gland in the brain – the pituitary gland (that’s important because the pituitary may be the link between PCOS and hypothyroidism, which we’ll talk about in a little bit). If you thyroid doesn’t produce enough thyroid hormones, it is underactive. Let’s have a look at some of the symptoms 
 

  • Weight gain
  • Slow movements, thought and speech
  • Breathlessness
  • Dizziness
  • Palpitations
  • Dry/gritty eyes
  • Hoarse voice
  • Difficulty swallowing
  • Hair loss
  • Dry skin
  • Muscle and joint pain
  • Carpal tunnel syndrome
  • Loss of appetite
  • Constipation
  • Oedema, swelling over eyes, face.
  •  I can see some overlap with PCOS there, particularly with regard to weight gain and hair loss.

Okay, so now that we know a little more about Hypothyroidism, let’s have a look at the link between hypothyroidism and PCOS.
One study has found that 22.5% of women with PCOS also had subclinical hypothyroidism. That’s a high percentage of us! Now, the pathway connecting PCOS and hypothyroidism isn’t clear yet but what is pretty well established is that women with PCOS may also have be at a higher risk of developing hypothyroidism.

 Hypothyroidism, PCOS and Sex Hormone Binding Globulin

Now, there is something else that we need to consider. We know that women with POCS tend to have lower levels of SHBG. This is problematic because SHBG picks up free testosterone in the blood and helps to make it inactive. So, the less SHBG you have, the more free testosterone you have to make your PCOS symptoms worse.
Here’s the thing, it is our thyroid hormones that increase the levels of SHBG. So, if you do have a sluggish thyroid, you will have a harder time getting your PCOS under control.

What to do now?

Now that we know that there is this strong link, what should we do about it? Well, there are a couple of things.
It’s really important that we all have our thyroid function monitored. Also get our regular hormonal assay and sonography done to monitor our PCOs.
A healthy diet and regular exercise regime will help reduce weight and control our PCOs. 
Avoid food with gluten, too much salt or sugar to keep your weight under check.
Homoeopathic medicines work great with treating thyroid disorders and PCOs, a detailed case history will be taken by your homoeopathic consultant.

SOURCES
Pcos diet author Tarry poulton

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