Do you think it could be related to (peri)menopause? My libido is now non-existent despite HRT - I’m now waiting for appointment with menopause specialist to see about adding testosterone
I would suggest getting your sex hormones tested to see where you are with them 🤗 need to get the timing right if still cycling as going to be going up and down like a fiddlers elbow, need to balance them up with everything else
Sadly a low libido is a symptom of low thyroid hormones, as long term un/misdiagnosis eventually compromises adrenal and ovarian hormones.
I agree with Eeyore regarding having sex hormones looked at. I don’t know where you are at with optimising thyroid meds because it’s early days but optimising iron and nutrients will encourage meds to work better and hopefully libido to return. Does your doctor know you are ttc as you may very well require a Levo dose raise?
You are recently diagnosed with Hashimotos so it’s not just about replacing the missing thyroid hormones but managing the autoimmune side also. Your bio says you recently miscarried and I would recommend reading ‘Your Healthy Pregnancy With Thyroid Disease" by Dana Trentini and Mary Shomon.
This book explains the conditions required that best allow conception. Also the huge transformations that take place during pregnancy and the intricate connections with the immune system. There is thought that thyroid antibodies accompanying chronic inflammation can induce miscarriage and studies show thyroid antibodies being found in babies born to Hashi mums.
The book also explains how to reduce chronic inflammation (thyroid antibodies) and things like how mismanaged hypothyroidisms tendency to encourage an exaggerated insulin response puts hypos at higher risk of gestational diabetes.
Also looking at sites such as hypothyroidmom … hypothyroidmom.com/hypothyr... and Isabella Wentz who had troubles conceiving/retaining pregnancies that she managed to overcome.
I’ve expanded on your post question because one thing leads to the other 😁
I'm still working on this. After levo plus supplementing with B12 and ferritin, I do feel much better, and it shows. Sex is easier overall: not just getting in the mood but also lubrication and sufficient energy levels. There are still a lot of ups and downs.
I'd consider getting your female hormones tested. My libido has been slowly dying a death since my eldest was born 8 years ago. It was always put down to being tired with small children. Then I was diagnosed as hypo. Libido carried on nosediving. Turns out I'm in perimenopause at 36 and waiting to start HRT.
The hormonal system is just one big system - introducing levo, to my mind, is bound to upset the apple cart and impact all other hormones.
I don't believe it is a side-effect of the levo but an impact.
An impact and what you describe is definitely one way of thinking of it.
I think for now, I have to give the treatment a chance before considering if something else is so wrong that it needs addressing. There have already been signs it’s getting better, just as others have mentioned theirs improved. I would of course want mine to return the same as prediagnosis a mere few months ago.
Thank you for you sharing and I hope things work out for you.
Just want to say thank you to everyone for sharing their insights and experiences.
I am hoping my libido is on the way up again, even if ever so very painfully slowly, and feeling so tired all the time is not exactly a recipe for a decent libido.
🤞🏽 once treatment is optimised and I hope I only need levothyroxine, things will improve. If not, then I have plenty to go on from everyone’s responses.
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