Hypothyroidism is not uncommon and many people might already know what it is. But does libido have anything to do with hypothyroidism? Can it affect thyroid levels or hypothyroidism affect your libido?
Hypothyroidism is a gland malfunction when the thyroid gland fails to produce enough thyroxine for the body. Tyroxine-T4 regulates some very essential functions; heart rate, physical growth, metabolism, mental development.
If the body doesn’t get enough T4, the main processes in the body might slow down and cause potentially life-threatening circumstances. Organs and tissues throughout the whole body might get damaged.
Hypothyroidism is a chronic disease, actually one of the most frequent ones. It can affect children and adults as well.
Symptoms become apparent long after the gland stops producing T4 and it´s possible, 2 out of 3 people affected don´t know they have a disease.
Thyroid collects iodine that is retracted from the food and produces T4 form iodine.
If T4 is lower than normal, it can affect body weight, hunger, sleeping, body temperature, sexual libido and many other features (physical, emotional and mental).
Hypothyroidism is caused by:
- Hashimoto’s disease (inflammation of the thyroid gland)
- Surgical removal of the thyroid gland
- Viruses and bacteria
- Medication
- Diet
- Environmental contaminants and others
Symptoms of Hypothyroidism are so hard to notice that in a lot of cases the disease isn´t even diagnosed. However, if the disease isn´t treated properly it may eventually lead to death.
A person suffering from Hypothyroidism will most likely have more than one of these symptoms:
- Tiredness
- Decreased heart rate
- Progressive hearing loss
- Weight gain
- Hard to remember things
- Concentration difficulties
- Depression
- Goiter (enlarged thyroid gland)
- Muscle pain or weakness
- Loss of sex drive
- Insensitive hands
- Low moisture in the skin
- Swollen eyelids
- Extreme sensitivity to cold
- Raspy invoice
Even though disease evolves gradually in case of any symptoms, the visiting doctor might be a good idea.
The disease can be diagnosed on a base of medical observation, physical examination followed by a blood test, and examination of the patient´s history.
Treatment:
- Natural or synthetic thyroid hormones
- Daily workout
- High fiber diet
- Alternative treatments (various food with additional iodine for example)
Treatment will improve patient´s wellbeing in 48 hours; however, medications need to be taken continuously, otherwise disease returns. Hypothyroidism can be successfully controlled with permanent medication.
How hypothyroidism affects men sex life?
As mentioned before low sex drive is one of the symptoms of hypothyroidism, we can notice. Men suffering from this disease may also have problems with:
- Delayed ejaculation
- Erectile dysfunction
- Premature ejaculation
Even though Hypothyroidism is about 8-10 times less common in men than in women, the disease needs to be diagnosed on time, in order to start with proper treatment.
Approximately 2 out of 3 hypothyroid men were encountering some kind of problem in their sexual life. Medications that help to heal the disease also reverse and restore occurred sexual problems.
The good news is, once the men with hyperthyroidism were treated, almost all of them acknowledged their symptoms of erectile dysfunction disappear.
Proper diagnoses and treatment return men back to their normal state, however, medications need to be taken, and no termination is allowed.
The body is not able to function without medications and that is why treatment must be carried out all of the patient´s life.
In conclusion, we delivered content related to hypothyroidism and how it can result in low libido. We hope that the information we provided can help you learn more about hypothyroidism as one of the causes of low libido.
