Breaking News: Estrogen, Menopause and Thyroid, with Richard & Karilee Shames

Consider the following case. Just the other day we were doing one of our long-distance telephone consultations with a 51-year-old schoolteacher from the midwest, named Sarah. Both she and her mother started menopause at what would be considered an early age of 46. Sarah knew that her mother had low thyroid, as well as severe menopause problems. Neither the mother, nor Sarah, nor their doctors connected these two situations. When Sarah herself began to have the same severe menopause problems as her mother, she accepted it as her genetic predisposition. She was sometimes so hot and sweaty during a school day that she would need to keep a change of clothes in the teachers’ lounge. Needless to say, the kids got on her nerves easily, and she was not enjoying her previously satisfying job.

Faced with these difficulties, Sarah did what her mother had not done: she began taking Premarin and Provera immediately. The hoped-for relief, however, was only minimal, even when the gynecologist increased her dosage. Fortunately, she was referred to our office by her school principal, who was our patient. Sarah’s previously normal TSH was now, with advancing menopause, 6.2, clearly in the abnormal range. It indicated that her thyroid hormone levels were not keeping up with the extra demands of her changing metabolism.

Once on thyroid medication, she began to feel like her old self in a matter of weeks. Her menopause symptoms faded into the background, and her life became more balanced and enjoyable. Best of all, she no longer needed the Premarin and Provera to maintain this more graceful version of menopause. Thyroid hormone alone resolved the problems.

Other menopausal symptoms are equally amenable to treatment with thyroid hormone alone. Atrophic vaginitis, or thinning of the vaginal wall as the result of falling estrogen levels, can lead to itching, discharge, and painful intercourse. All of these symptoms are much more severe when your thyroid is low. Women who have had unremitting vaginal dryness that was unresolved with vaginal creams or estrogen pills are often found to be low thyroid, if checked carefully. In addition to getting an important part of their intimate life back, once treated with thyroid medicine, these women are pleased to find that their problems with dry hair, dry skin, and cracking nails are often resolved as well.

We don’t intend to belittle the persistent difficulty that some women have at this time in their life. Not everyone will be helped as quickly or as completely as was Sarah. The dance of the hormones is very complex, so the idea that you can take just one hormone, or even two, and experience total relief, is not always borne out successfully. You need to look at the whole picture. That’s what we mean by holistic health.

Try to take into account all of your hormones, not just one of them. In fact, you can use this multifactorial approach to assess all aspects of your life when trying to solve a thorny problem. If you are dissatisfied with your relationship or your job, these could be crucial aspects of your return to a less symptomatic menopause. Many women find that more than medical intervention is needed. Some find that quiet time away from their life stressors works wonders. Another reason to look beyond simple estrogen replacement is the fact that estrogen is not always a friendly and helpful substance.

Contrary to what the pharmaceutical industry and your doctors may be telling you presently, a blue ribbon panel of specialists from around the world have confirmed that estrogen’s benefits have been over-rated and its risks minimized. Optimizing your thyroid can be a far better way to achieve the smoother menopause and the preventive health care you may desire.

Richard Shames MD is a Harvard and University of Pennsylvania educated General Practitioner with over 30 years of experience. He is presently practicing in Boca Raton, Florida and San Rafael, CA. He & Karilee Shames PhD, RN, co-authored the HarperCollins book THYROID POWER: 10 STEPS TO TOTAL HEALTH. He is available for second opinion consultations all over the country via their website www.ThyroidPower.com