Post Date December, 03 2023
Hyperthyroidism (hyperthyroidism for short) is a common endocrine disease, and its incidence rate is second only to diabetes. In clinical practice, some patients with hyperthyroidism report an increase in sexual desire after illness, while others experience erectile dysfunction. Some female patients report having low menstrual flow, irregular menstruation, and even amenorrhea after suffering from hyperthyroidism. Some patients also experience breast lumps or nodules. Why do hyperthyroidism patients cause changes in sexual function or menstruation? The exact mechanism is not yet very clear and is generally believed to be related to the following factors:
The thyroid gland and gonad belong to the endocrine system and play their normal functions under the regulation of the hypothalamus and pituitary gland. If the thyroid gland is overactive, it can also affect the functions of other endocrine glands, affecting the normal functions of male testes and female ovaries and other gonads. According to research, there are receptors such as estrogen, progesterone, prolactin, and androgen in thyroid tissue, and thyroid tissue also has a certain degree of sex hormone dependence.
Thyroid hormone and sex hormone are closely related to the central nervous system. Hyperthyroidism can show the excitement of the central nervous system, such as irritability or depression. And changes in emotions and spirits can also affect the normal function of the central nervous system, affect changes in sexual hormones, and cause changes in sexual function and menstruation.
If a patient with hyperthyroidism experiences changes in their sexual life or irregular menstruation, they should first seek medical attention from a specialist to identify the relationship between hyperthyroidism and sexual abnormalities, and exclude various comorbidities and secondary diseases other than hyperthyroidism. Secondly, active treatment should be given to hyperthyroidism. As long as it is well controlled, the metabolic disorders and sexual function changes caused by hyperthyroidism can be eliminated. If necessary, a traditional Chinese medicine doctor can be consulted to follow the principles of traditional Chinese medicine syndrome differentiation and treatment, formulate medication reasonably, and comprehensively regulate it, which can improve the therapeutic effect and relieve various abnormal manifestations in hyperthyroidism patients.
