Can Hyperthyroidism Affect Your Periods or Menstrual Cycle?
Hyperthyroidism can lead to increased prolactin. This can interfere with the production of estrogen and progesterone, two hormones that help regulate your menstrual cycle.
Thyroid hormones help regulate your metabolism, energy levels, internal body temperature, hair growth, and more, says hormone specialist and integrative nutritionist Alisa Vitti, author of “In the FLO” and “WomanCode.”
When the butterfly-shaped gland at the base of your neck pumps too many of these hormones out, you can experience a wide variety of symptoms, including menstrual cycle irregularities.
“The thyroid helps control the menstrual cycle,” says Amy Myers, MD, author of “The Thyroid Connection” and “The Autoimmune Solution.”
”If you have too much thyroid hormone (hyperthyroidism) or not enough thyroid hormone (hypothyroidism), your periods will be disrupted,” explains Myers.
Hyperthyroidism, specifically, can cause your periods to be very light, irregular, and in some cases make you miss your period for several months at a time, she says.
“When your thyroid hormone levels increase, your brain starts to produce more prolactin,” says Vitti.
High levels of prolactin can interfere with the typical production of estrogen and progesterone, two hormones that help regulate your menstrual cycle.
“When prolactin levels are high, ovulation can be disrupted, which can lead to cycle irregularities,” explains Vitti.
High prolactin levels also suppress the production of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH).
When GnRH is released, it signals the pituitary gland to produce follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). If GnRH is suppressed, the pituitary gland halts the production of FSH and LH.
And FSH and LH influence the menstrual cycle. These hormones tell your ovary to release an egg. If these FSH and LH levels are low, an egg isn’t released.
The menstrual cycle is centered around the release of an egg from the ovary to the fallopian tube. So if this doesn’t happen, your overall cycle and menstrual period are disrupted.