Have reached the end of my tether so wondered if people on this forum may be able to help.
I am on nature thyroid (T3) and synthetic thyroxine (T4) at the minute and haven't felt this good in ages, however I now have NO libido. I am also (and have been taking for the past 7 years) Microgynon as contraception and was wondering if anyone had any recommendations on contraception that has worked alongside their T3 and T4 medication? And preferably one that makes my libido return! As at the age of 23, this is not what I want!
Any help would be so greatly appreciated, doctors don't really want to listen to any connections between negative side affects and the pill, and with the extra complication of hypothyroidism, thought it would be best to come here first
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I could not tolerate any kind of contraception because estrogen depresses thyroid function. I tried a patch contraceptive with serious adverse effects. We are all different of course so hard to advise. However once I had the Mirena coil fitted I never looked back. I kept it in place and sailed through menaupause. My daughter had hers fitted at 29 and sees no periods at all. It's real freedom, no more tummy ache, being able to plan your holidays, no fear of pregnancy. Of course it's embarrassing to have it fitted as you have to be on your period. It can be painful if like my daughter you have not had a baby. I gave her a really strong painkiller an hour before it was inserted, suggest you do the same. It stays in for 5 years and it's painless to remove. I took Microgynon and had zero libido but I was undiagnosed as hypothyroid at the time. Hypothyroidism will slash your libido for sure, so make certain you are optimally medicated. If as you say you are feeling great I think you can deduce it's the Microgynon that has snatched your libido.
I was fine on the patch but under weight at the time. So I agree with you that we are all different. Mirena was good because I travel a lot. But reduced my periods. I had it removed after 18 months as I feel it made me gain weight. Which I’m now loosing 5 months later.
I didn’t have to have it fitted while on my period - I’ve been told it’s a myth as it’s ‘easier’ to fit then. Most of my friends with it just had to be certain they weren’t pregnant for fitting. Ibuprofen an hour before helps. That five seconds of extreme discomfort is worth it. I drove myself home after. Others cramp for. Hours or days after. Great for pregnancy avoidance - but check the strings regularly. I have fibroids and they can ‘kick’ the coil out of the way and render it ineffective. Mini pill is an option for less hormones.
The patch worked wonders for me. Microgynon made me severely depressed for two hours, after fourteen hours of taking it. Vilest was better but when diagnosed I moved to the mini pill. (I’m great at time keeping so no accidents with taking it late). Libido might be a different issue as our hormones are out of whack. Mine has been below arrange since my twenties.
If a woman has been under a lot of stress then her adrenals can be 'fatigued' or even 'exhausted' and unable to satisfactorily respond to the sex hormone production demands of her body. I use Ragland's test and the pupillary constriction test to assess for adrenal fatigue. A hormone test will help to determine if there are hormonal insufficiencies or imbalances such as estrogen dominance.
The hormones are made from cholesterol! If someone has low cholesterol because they don't get enough healthy fats in their diet or they are on a cholesterol-lowering medication then you might not be making adequate pregnenolone.
(Much of what we were taught about the health risks of high cholesterol was fiction, it was fed to us by "foundations" that were really a front for the pharmaceutical companies. Elevated Apo A can be an increased risk of CHD.)
We need good fats in our diet because they are the source of the essential fatty acids (EFAs), they're called essential for a reason because we need them for optimal health & wellbeing! 60% of our brain is made up from DHA fat. Statin use is associated with an increased risk of dementia.
The body can only produce so much pregnenolone per day so it is the 'rate-limiting step'!
Pregnenolone is used to produce cortisol as well as the sex hormones (estrogens, progesterone, DHEA, testosterone, etc). If a woman has been under stress then she will preferentially use her pregnenolone to make cortisol at the expense of making her sex hormones. This process of response can become engrained in the brain (PVN cells of the hypothalamus) so that she becomes better at making the stress response. This process is called the "pregnenolone steal".
Functional endocrinology supports the low libido symptoms by addressing the hypothalamus-pituitary-ovarian-adrenal (HPOA) axis.
The use of adaptogenic herbs to regulate the hypothalamus and bring it back to midline (whether it is too high or too low) is part of this process. But, since the brain is the master computer and it has two requirements for survival, oxygen and blood sugar. Therefore before we can correct hormonal imbalances we must first address any anemias (not just iron deficient anemia) and dysglycemias (including hypoglycemia and/or insulin resistance, etc) Symptoms of hypoglycemia include feeling shaky, jittery or the "hangries" if they go too long without eating as if when meals are missed. Insulin resistance symptoms can include craving sweets after meals &/or fatigue after eating.
Adrenal support is the next step, helping to assess and address any challenges with circadian rhythm. I use salivary hormone testing and sleep history, difficulty staying asleep can be due to hypoglycemia, difficulty getting up can be a slow cortisol awakening response (CAR), etc. Cortisol <----> Melatonin regulation. The use of topical hormone creams topical is preferred because they don't work as well orally.
Once the brain and adrenals are working you can address any inflammation &/or gut issues. Inflammatory cytokines (from inflammatory response including food allergies or sensitivities resulting from leaky-gut) can cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and activate the microglia (immune cells in the brain).
Microglia activation together with the breakdown of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) promotes neurodegeneration. Assessing BBB integrity (GABA challenge) and addressing specific concerns of brain health including circulation (spider veins on ankles, cold toes & feet, toe fungus are signs of impaired circulation and if it is impaired in the feet it is probably impaired in the brain).
Adrenal compensation non-adapted stress response contributes to dysglycemia, leaky gut, and the pregnenolone steal which can cause imbalances in essential fatty acids Omega-3 & Omega-9 are anti-inflammatory Omega-6 stimulate arachidonic acid & prostaglandins & leukotrienes and can be pro-inflammatory. Fatty acid nutritional supplementation is important for brain & immune support, DHA is good for the brain, EPA converts LDL into HDL and reduces arteriosclerosis.)
Healthy estrogen clearance, estrogen metabolite formation, estrogen-receptor site responses, are ideal clinical targets for menopause management. (Estrovite containes ingredients that support estrogen metabolism.
The thyroid hormones T4 & T3 are transported in the bloodstream by the thyroglobulin binding protein (TGB). Estrogen from the birth control pill, etc is normally transported in the bloodstream by the sex hormone binding globulin protein (SHBG). Estrogen is like a RV in a parking lot, it can compete for a seat on the TGB protein interferring with thyroid hormone transport to the targets which can be a problem.
I used to take microgynon and it made me emotional and suppressed my libido too. When it was combined with levothyroxine things only got worse. I feel so much better for not taking the microgynon.
I was on microgynon for years, as I've got older I think more about what chemicals I put in my body or own my skin. I asked to have the coil and am on a waiting list but in the meantime the Dr prescribed a different tablet which didn't work for me so I just stopped using it. However I was surprised at how much better I felt off the microgynon and can't believe I put up with it think how I felt was normal but it was actually the pill!
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