So.Many.Changes…Why!?
Hey dear friends and welcome to our very first blog post! We’ll begin with a brief overview of the menopause biggies, as I’ve grappled with all of them since being diagnosed with perimenopause at a young age. Especially at the beginning, all of this felt chaotic and scary, so my goal is to share some resources and let you know you are not alone. Today I will review the importance of getting a thorough thyroid panel, and we will take a deeper dive in future posts, I promise.
Weight gain during perimenopause, menopause and post menopause can be confusing and frustrating. For myself, it seemingly made no sense. I had an exercise routine that felt good previously. My diet was overall healthy and primarily organic. Sure I had some life stress but who doesn’t? The same went for suddenly feeling tired all the time. As in, CONSTANTLY. Also, waking up several times during the night, even though I used to win gold medals in sleeping (ok that’s not a thing). I was also increasingly spaced out and forgetful. Changes in sex drive are also super common during this phase of life. And possibly the most challenging thing, personally, was experiencing major hair loss. I’d always taken my thick hair for granted. And suddenly it was incredibly thin and dry. Trust me, I cried LOTS about this.
I went to several specialists and endured a lot of medical testing before I found a fantastic naturopathic doctor who was willing to explore things on a deeper level. She recommended a full thyroid panel, as well as exploring hormonal levels (this includes estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, cortisol, DHEA, the works!) and even seeing if I’d developed food allergies that could be contributing to various symptoms.
We tested my thyroid first. I was skeptical initially, as this was something that my general practitioner and a few specialists had reviewed several times, and it always came back A-OK. However my new doc explained that the thyroid panels we usually get are not looking at the entire picture. You’ve probably been tested for TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) levels. But we also need to explore the following: free T4, free T3, anti-TPO, anti-TG, and reverse T-3.
Taking this full panel revealed that I actually did have low thyroid function (hypothyroidism) and specifically the auto-immune disease Hashimoto’s. This discovery felt empowering. I could now choose to take a thyroid supplement (you’ve probably heard of common options such as Synthroid and L-thyroxine, or your doc may recommend another medication. There are also plant-based thyroid support options that might work for you). The point is, you deserve to know exactly what’s going on in that unique and amazing body of yours.
I can’t stress enough how important it is to find a doctor who will listen to you and respect your health concerns. You might already have a general practitioner, endocrinologist, or other specialists that do this (and if you do, that is awesome!). You might benefit from finding a naturopathic doctor, a functional medicine doc or an integral medicine doctor in your area. I am happy to guide you in this search. A great place to start (outside of word-of-mouth) is checking out https://naturopathic.org to see a list of certified naturopathic docs in your area, or do a word search for functional and integral meds docs. Yelp it up. Read reviews! And remember, your doctor works for you. You deserve to feel safe and respected. This is your one precious life, right?
I look forward to chatting more in future posts. Is there something you’d like me to cover? Would you like to be added to our email list? Feel free to let me know via the Contacts page.
Before I leave you, here are some books I love!
-The Diet Cure Book by Julia Ross, M.A. (the title is a bit misleading. Trust me, this book takes a deep dive into understanding our endocrine systems. It’s not about eating less, but rather exploring what our bodies may be craving, and supports the idea that food is medicine).
-Menopause: An Imperfect Guide by Sasha Davies (this is an excellent overview of menopause. I can’t recommend enough).
