Menopause and thyroid disorder: how to tell the difference?

The thyroid is a small butterfly-shaped gland located at the base of the neck, a few centimeters from Adam’s apple. His role : produce thyroid hormones T3 and T4which regulate many of the body’s vital functions: oxygen consumption, body temperature, use of sugar, regulation of heart rate, nervous system… When the level of hormones produced is too low (hypothyroidism) or too high (hyperthyroidism), it’s the whole body that’s out of orderleading to physiological changes that can be confused with symptoms of menopause.

Around the age of fifty, the postmenopausal woman is the victim of major hormonal upheavals: the ovaries reduce their production of sex hormones (estrogens), leading to the cessation of ovulation and therefore of menstruation. The many symptoms that accompany these changes can sometimes be confused with those of a thyroid disorder, and especially hypothyroidism.

Pre-menopause and menopause are generally accompanied by many undesirable effects: fatigue, a weight gainfrom night sweats, from hot flashes, feelings of dizziness, from tremors, from palpitationsbut also urinary disorders, from headache, of the’irritability, of anxiety…

In the case of hypothyroidism, the body does not produce enough thyroid hormones. Result : « it works in slow motion », explains Dr. Borys. We often see a weight gain, a swellingt everywhere in the body, a fatiguea chilliness, a slow-down of heartbeatof the hair growth, but also cerebral and physical. The intestines also work more slowly, leading to transit disorders.

According to Dr Borysit is fatigue and weight gain that can sow the seeds of trouble between hypothyroidism and menopause. In postmenopausal women, « the Fatigue and weight gain combined can be symptoms that can be linked to both menopause and hypothyroidism. »

Transit disorders are most often a sign of hypothyroidism, as are feelings of swelling, which can be observed in both cases but which are more often a sign of hypothyroidism. « Mood disorders are most often the consequence of menopause », he adds.

Symptoms of hypothyroidism have more similarities with those of menopause as symptoms of hyperthyroidism (when the body produces too much thyroid hormone). It is therefore more common to confuse hypothyroidism and menopause than hyperthyroidism and menopause.

The only exception: the hot flashes. « The main symptoms resulting from the menopause are significant hot flashes, especially at night, with heavy periods of sweating », notes Dr. Jean-Michel Borys. « However, the latter are rather symptomatic of hyperthyroidism and not of hypothyroidism ». In case of hypothyroidism, on the contrary, there is a significant chilliness : we are always cold.

What if you had both? Menopause can indeed induce a decrease in thyroid hormones, and therefore lead to hypothyroidism. “Menopause is a time when one is very likely to develop hypothyroidism,” notes Dr. Borys.

« This is why it is generally recommended to carry out a TSH test (thyroid stimulating hormone) in the patient, in order to quickly diagnose an anomaly, in other words the presence of a thyroid imbalance », explains the endocrinologist. A thyroid disorder increases csome risks already increased at menopausein particular the cardiovascular risk in the event of hypothyroidism.

the hormone replacement therapy (HRT) could also impact thyroid hormone levels. This was recently underlined by a French doctor in an intervention at the last National Days of General Medicine. This is why it is generally recommended to also perform a TSH test six weeks after the introduction of a THM.