{"id":6711,"date":"2022-12-07T11:18:14","date_gmt":"2022-12-07T10:18:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pre.juanacrespo.com\/how-does-hypothyroidism-affect-male-and-female-fertility\/"},"modified":"2026-03-18T15:07:17","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T14:07:17","slug":"how-does-hypothyroidism-affect-male-and-female-fertility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/juanacrespo.com\/en\/how-does-hypothyroidism-affect-male-and-female-fertility\/","title":{"rendered":"HOW DOES HYPOTHYROIDISM AFFECT MALE AND FEMALE FERTILITY?"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

According to data from the Spanish Society of Endocrinology and Nutrition, about 10% of Spanish women suffer from thyroid disorders<\/strong>. The most common is hypothyroidism.<\/p>\n

Women suffering from hypothyroidism <\/strong>usually have fertility problems, as this disease affects egg production and the menstrual cycle.<\/p>\n

Therefore, when a woman fails to become pregnant, it is common to evaluate her thyroid function and check her hormone levels<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, hypothyroidism usually has an autoimmune cause<\/strong>, with the immune system’s own antibodies attacking the thyroid and altering its function. Hence there is an association between thyroid disorders and pregnancy complications, especially 1st trimester miscarriages.<\/p>\n

What is hypothyroidism?<\/h2>\n

Some pathologies can affect the functioning of the thyroid, causing an excessive or insufficient production of hormones<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Hypothyroidism is a disease that causes the thyroid gland to be underactive<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

This means that the thyroid produces fewer hormones than the body needs to perform its functions “normally”.<\/p>\n

Hypothyroidism is a condition present in both men and women<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Depending on the triggering factor, it can be primary (a failure of the thyroid itself) or secondary (a disturbance in the pituitary gland).<\/p>\n

There is also another type of hypothyroidism, called peripheral or tertiary<\/strong>, much less frequent, related to the inability of tissues to respond to thyroid hormones.<\/p>\n

The thyroid: a key gland for fertility and for the “normal” functioning of the organism.<\/h2>\n

The thyroid is an endocrine gland located in the front of the neck.<\/p>\n

It is shaped like a butterfly and its function is to produce, store and release thyroid hormones<\/strong>, known as T3 (triiodothyronine) and T4 (thyroxine), the basic compound of which is thyroxine.<\/p>\n

These hormones are involved in the development of the nervous system and regulate metabolism<\/strong>, being fundamental in physiological processes such as controlling heart rate, synthesizing glycogen, forming vitamin A, regulating calorie consumption, maintaining body temperature or producing reproductive cells.<\/p>\n

To perform these functions, the thyroid is assisted by two other glands: the pituitary<\/strong>, which is responsible for identifying the amount of thyroid hormones in the blood to produce more when necessary (through the secretion of TSH); and the hypothalamus<\/strong>, which releases TRH so that the pituitary gland can produce TSH.<\/p>\n

Are there risk factors associated with this disease?<\/h2>\n

Hypothyroidism can affect people of all ages and genders, although it is more common in women of childbearing age<\/strong> (between 15 and 45 years).<\/p>\n

It is most often caused by Hashimoto’s thyroiditis<\/strong>, an autoimmune disease present in 4 out of every 1,000 women and 1 out of every 1,000 men.<\/p>\n

Some of the factors that increase the risk of hypothyroidism are:<\/p>\n