I have hypothyroidism and I am now going through the menopause and I am finding it incredibly difficult.

[mackers63]

I have hypothyroidism and I am now going through the menopause but I am finding it incredibly difficult to manage the symptoms. My GP offered me HRT but I refused because I do have a weight problem and I don't want to make that even worse.I go to the gym and exercise classes at least 3 times a week and eat healthily but I am still struggling to lose weight. Does anybody have any recommendations on how to lose weight and if there is a natural supplement that can be taken to help with the menopause symptoms? Thank you

[Hidden]

Hi Mackers63,

I'm sorry you're feeling a bit rubbish. Let me tell you how I've coped. I had my ovaries removed 3 years ago and decided to go it alone for a while without any HRT and felt dreadfull. A lot of the time I found it difficult to distinguish between hypo symptoms and no oestrogen. I battled for ages and then gave in to oestrogen replacement therapy and boy what a difference.

I have a weight problem too because of hypo but the ERT didn't put any extra weight on me. I'm 49 and frankly am happy to take my ERT because I don't want my bones thinning prematurely. I probably take a little more NDT (erfa) to compensate for the ERT but staying on the oestrogen is a decision I am glad I made. I have NO menopausal symptoms at all. I have implants in my abdomen about every 9 months. What I suffer from now is purely the effects of not being fully regulated on my ERFA. This is just my story. I can't advise you but I have been in both camps and for accepting the Oestrogen was the best course of action. I don't take progesterone because I don't have a uterus either. Hope this is of some help. I know many women decide to go it alone but ovary removal is an aggressive start to menopause and not a pleasant one. I know there are more natural ways to ease menopausal symptoms but for me they didn't even touch the sides.

Xxxx

[Mikiviki]

So many women will relate to this. Menopause is difficult for most even without thyroid problems. Soy products are not good for hypothyroid and I was recommended a natural progesterone cream daily. I found this made me sleepy. A friend who suffered hot flashes didn't benefit at all. I had a very late menopause at the age of 58+ and now at 62 I find I have the odd "hormonal storm" I call it, headache, heat, it feels like pmt. I think you are very good doing all the activities and eating well, but there are really very few women I know who didn't change shape or put on weight during menopause. It's a fight, and especially difficult with thyroid thrown in. I am learning to live with my larger self (I am not big, just a bit plumper) hopefully I will lose weight one day....I did lose a few pounds doing high protein diets like 'Atkins' but they can be soul destroying.

Good Luck!!

[Debdieboo]

Hi am 48 and the same 2 stone overweight. I have a treadmill n a dog if I walk and slight jog for an hour 5 days a week my weights starts to go down . But as soon as I stop. Or am bad it goes back on again! Am taking a high dose 540 ml black chosh seems to help with flushes n things. Takes a while to work. But helps a bit! Not on HRT by the way. Missed 4 periods now in a row.

Not alone.

Debsxxx

[Hidden in reply to Debdieboo]

Yes, black cohosh is supposed to be helpful. I can't think of another 'natural' supplement. You could try HRT and see if it helps. If it doesn't, you can always stop. Misfiring thyroid AND menopause is such a double whammy. And the two often appear together. Double misery. :O(

[danceforever]

It is extremely hard to loose weight when we have a thyroid problem and then put in menopause and it's twice as hard. The best thing we can do is get off carbs, sugar. Eat more veges and fruit. De stress and accept this is it and try to be happy. The best thing to help mood and flashes too, is natural progesterone cream. google natpro website. that says it all

[mazb]

This happened to me (and is still happening a bit).

Been diagnosed with Hashis/hypothyroid since 1991 and then when pre-menopause symptoms started to appear in my 40's it got worse as there can be overlap of symptoms - they can be similar - e.g. racing heart/palpitations come with both conditions - as well as exhaustion.

I did a LOT of reading up on how the hormones all work together and affect each other and strongly came to believe that I was also suffering from oestrogen dominance (which can come because of being bigger, as it can be made in the fat cells), from past or present contraception, and from (many believe), things we eat - e.g. farmers are thought to give oestrogen to some animals for more bulk.

So I worked out that I needed to counter-balance the female hormones with progesterone, which also helps the T4 in thyroxine to 'complete it's mission' - as one writer put it - that may be to do with the conversion to the active T3.

Anyway - I found that natural progesterone was best - not the synthetic progestin, as is in H.R.T. - which, also, can include oestrogen which I certainly did not want any more of* and I knew my body was still producing as I still had periods (up till 18 months ago).

* as too much can also cause, or feed, womb and breast cancers also, some believe (and I believe).

But my periods were coming sometimes every 21 days, and once or twice only about 18 days in between, and I found this can be a symptoms of oestrogen dominance too - and, with the underactive thyroid problem, were heavy too.

So I started using Wellsprings natural progesterone cream, as recommended by the late Dr. John Lee, and, gradually, the gap between my periods lengthened and I began to feel a bit better (not so drained), and began to sleep a bit better (the person, above, who said it made her sleepy, may have been using too much).

The booklet they send with it explains how to use it according to what stage you are at.

Here's a quote which explained it to me...

"Unopposed oestrogen (oestrogen dominance) can interfere with thyroid hormone activity and is often an underlying cause of thyroid dysfunction. Because oestrogen and thyroid hormone have opposing actions, probably at the thyroid hormone receptor level, unopposed oestrogen will prevent the thyroid hormone from "completing its mission", resulting in "hypothyroid symptoms" despite normal serum levels of thyroid hormone.

Conversely, progesterone re-directs the activity of oestrogen by increasing the sensitivity of oestrogen receptors and, most importantly, inhibits many of oestrogen's undesirable side effects, which includes interference with thyroid hormone activity."

from progesterone.co.uk/thyroid.htm

also see -

progesterone.co.uk/ostrogen...

Hope this helps - I can honestly say it got me through to the other side of menopause in regulating my cycle until my periods gradually lessened and stopped in June last year.

I still need to get my thyroxine dose sorted, but I think I have less oestrogen now and feel a bit better for that.

[Aurealis]

Weightwatchers worked for me - but i had to do it seriously and not eat exercise points