Women And Thyroid Disease
Blood tests can be performed to detect the presence of specific antibodies that cause Graves disease to confirm a diagnosis, but these are generally not necessary. Genes directly related to thyroid function, such as thyroglobulin or thyroid stimulating hormone receptor genes, have also been associated with Graves disease. The Tg gene produces Hashimoto Thyroiditis thyroglobulin, a protein that only occurs in thyroid tissue and plays a role in the production of thyroid hormones. The TSHR gene produces a protein that is a receptor and binds to the thyroid stimulating hormone. The exact underlying way in which genetic and environmental factors interact to cause Graves’ disease is not fully understood.
You must reintroduce thyroid hormones into your system by taking regular medicines. The amount of time it takes to treat hyperthyroidism may change depending on the cause. If your healthcare provider treats your condition with antithyroid medications, your hormone levels should drop to a healthy level in about six to twelve weeks. Over time, most people who use it develop hypothyroidism . If you have hypothyroidism, you can replace the thyroid hormone with using thyroid hormone medications for the rest of your life.
An abnormally low TSH can be the first sign of hyperthyroidism. Hypothyroidism, or an inactive thyroid gland, can actually be caused by hyperthyroidism treatments, because the whole goal is to reduce thyroid activity. Conversely, hyperthyroidism can be caused by taking too many thyroid hormone replacement drugs to treat an inactive thyroid. In Graves disease, the body produces an antibody called thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulin, causing the thyroid to produce too much thyroid hormone . Graves’ disease occurs in families and is most common in women. When used at the right dose, levothyroxine can be safely taken for the rest of a person’s life.
With the right treatment, you can finally be free from your symptoms. Be careful of an emergency called a thyroid crisis or thyroid storm that can occur if you are under a lot of stress or have had an infection. If you have a fever, a fast and unstable heartbeat or feel less alert than usual, call your emergency number or go to the emergency room right away. Effects on the life phase Puberty and menstrual period Thyroid disorders can cause puberty and menstrual periods abnormally sooner or later. Reproduction An overactive or inactive thyroid can also affect ovulation. The ovaries are also at increased risk of developing cysts if the woman has an inactive thyroid gland .
Physicians generally need to adjust the dose of these drugs over time. They will usually perform blood tests every 2 to 3 months to ensure the correct dose, reducing the frequency of these tests every 6 to 12 months for long-term treatment. While the body adapts to hormone replacement tablets, a doctor may increase or decrease the dose until thyroid hormone levels are normal.
Pregnancy can cause a thyroid disease called postpartum thyroiditis. Postpartum thyroiditis usually starts two to six months after delivery and generally lasts up to a year . Symptoms of postpartum thyroiditis can be hyperthyroidism and / or hypothyroidism and are generally mild. Postpartum thyroiditis affects about 7 out of 100 pregnancies and must be managed with the help of a healthcare provider .
The first treatment for hyperthyroidism is generally antithyroid medicine or radioactive iodine therapy. If you have many symptoms, your doctor may recommend that you take antithyroid medications first to make you feel better. You can then decide whether you want to receive radioactive iodine therapy. Almost everyone who gets radioactive iodine then develops hypothyroidism. But hypothyroidism is easier to treat than hyperthyroidism when using daily thyroid hormone medications and causes less long-term health problems. Radioiodine therapy often leads to hypothyroidism, where thyroid hormone levels are too low.