If you have been unsuccessfully trying to get pregnant for more than six months, before you embark on invasive medical procedures and spend thousands of naira for assisted reproductive technology, ensure that you rule out any thyroid problem.

Many women do not realise that a good thyroid function is necessary for fertility, the ability to conceive and to maintain a pregnancy. A low or hyper functioning thyroid gland can prevent you from achieving that much desired pregnancy. While there are many and varied reasons for infertility, sub-optimal thyroid function may be that “missing link” especially for those with no specific reproductive problems.

A full thyroid evaluation is essential, and should be done as soon as possible for any woman who wants to get pregnant, especially if she has been trying to get pregnant for more than six months, had two or more miscarriages, has irregular menstrual cycle or a family history of thyroid problems.

Also, in general for both male and female, low libido, erectile dysfunction, lethargy, fatigue and consistent weight gain may also suggest the need for thyroid evaluation.

What is a thyroid gland?

The thyroid gland is an endocrine gland in your neck. It makes two hormones that are secreted into the blood: thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). These hormones are necessary for all the cells in your body to work normally.

Thyroid disorders are very common and tend mainly to occur in women, although anybody - men, teenagers, children and babies, too - can be affected. About one in 20 people has some kind of thyroid disorder, which may be temporary or permanent.

The thyroid gland lies in the front of your neck in a position just below your Adam’s apple. It is made up of two lobes - the right lobe and the left lobe, each about the size of a plum cut in half - and these two lobes are joined by a small bridge of thyroid tissue called the isthmus. The two lobes lie on either side of your wind-pipe.

What does my thyroid gland do?

The thyroid makes two hormones that it secretes into the blood stream. One is called thyroxine; this hormone contains four atoms of iodine and is often called T4. The other is called triiodothyronine, which contains three atoms of iodine and is often called T3. In the cells and tissues of the body the T4 is converted to T3. It is the T3, derived from T4 or secreted as T3 from the thyroid gland, which is biologically active and influences the activity of all the cells and tissues of your body.

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