Charting Through Thyroid Issues

Written By Nicole Capobianco

Charting Through Thyroid Issues

Thyroid disease comes up in a number of ways in the menstrual cycle.

 I discovered I had hypothyroidism when I started charting my morning temperatures with #FAMTaughtMe

Symptoms of thyroid problems range from weight changes, to anxiety, depression,  low energy  & mood swings. There are several kinds of thyroid issues, most notably hypothyroidism (slow thyroid) & hyperthyroidism (fast thyroid) , as well as autoimmune thyroid disease, called Grave's disease.

What is the thyroid?

The thyroid, located in the throat, is a small gland that manufactures thyroid hormones. It is essential for all metabolic activity: including ovulation. Two hormones directly affect ovarian function: t3 & t4, and the ovaries have receptors to those hormones. 

Your thyroid health is your adrenal health - the endocrine system is a system of communication, of hormones talking & regulating every cell process.

The adrenals are the battery of the body, giving you energy to support yourself. If they are not nourished properly, overworked, under stress, or depleted, they will send a message to your thyroid that the body must slow down. 

How can fertility awareness charting help you diagnose your thyroid issues?

Fertility awareness is an asset for anyone struggling with diagnosing or managing a thyroid issue.

Once you have a few cycles of data, you can use the range of waking temperatures to determine the state of your metabolic health. Abnormally higher than average or abnormally lower than average waking temperatures are an obvious symptom of thyroid dysfunction. 

In your charts we want to watch for range of temperatures: 

  • (Normal Thyroid: PREOV 97.0F - 97.5F /// POSTOV 97.6F - 98.3F)

"Some clinicians believe that any consistent pattern of pre-ovulatory temps below 97.3F should be tested, [especially when other symptoms are present]" [1]

  • (Hypothyroid/slow thyroid: PREOV 95.5F - 96.6F /// POSTOV 96.7F -97.2F)

  • (Hyperthyroid/fast thyroid: PREOV 97.5F - 98.6F /// POSTOV 98.7F -99.2F)


What are the other symptoms of thyroid issues?

Hyperthyroidism, excessively high thyroid activity - symptoms:

  • high waking temperatures

  • short cycles

  • light bleeding during menstruation

  • short luteal phases

  • milk in breasts when not nursing

  • infertility

Graves disease, an autoimmune disorder which causes hyperthyroidism - symptoms:

  • all of the above +

  • fast and irregular heartbeat

  • frequent bowel movements or diarrhea

  • goiter

  • heat intolerance

  • nervousness or irritability

  • tiredness or muscle weakness

  • trembling hands

  • trouble sleeping

  • weight loss

Hypothyroidism, low thyroid function - symptoms:

  • low waking temperatures

  • anovulatory cycles (no thermal shift observed)

  • long cycles

  • heavy or long menses

  • prolonged phases of less-fertile quality cervical fluid

  • short luteal phases

  • unexplained infertility or miscarriage


Ways underactive thyroid causes irregular menstrual cycles

  • You need t3 thyroid hormone to ovulate

  • Increases prolactin which suppresses ovulation

  • Robs ovaries of cellular energy needed to ovulate

  • Impairs insulin sensitivity


Can't I just get a thyroid test?                  OR 

I already got a thyroid test, and it came back normal?

If you have symptoms of thyroid dysfunction & your menstrual cycle also points to this conclusion, I encourage you to get proper testing. However, thyroid blood tests can be highly inaccurate for a number of reasons, and only receiving a thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) test is not sufficient to rule out a thyroid issue if symptoms are present. 

Your waking temperature over time can tell you with a greater degree of accuracy whether or not you need to give more support to your thyroid.

Ask your doctor for further thyroid investigation if

  • You have a family history

  • You have symptoms of thyroid dysfunction

  • Your menstrual charts indicate thyroid dysfunction

Tests you can encourage your doctor to perform: 

Supplements that help HYPOthyroid (slow thyroid): 

  • Dessicated Thyroid supplements (great natural source of t3 and t4)

  • Vitamin B Complex preferred, but especially B12 - use as directed - (regulates adrenals, metabolism)

  • Ashwagandha (effective plant derived thyroid stimulant)

  • Selenium supplement

  • Vitamin D - get outside in the sunshine at least 5 times a week

  • Vitex & Dong Quai

Food guide to nourishing and healing the thyroid:

  • Eat whole foods with their natural fats included

  • Animal fats & proteins, shellfish, red meat, liver, and skin

  • Cooked dark leafy greens & vegetables

  • Egg yolk has vitamins A & D, which nourishes your bones & endocrine system

  • Bone stocks have liquid amino acids, & easily absorbable collagen

  • Traditionally prepared, and iodine rich foods, like fish stock, & seaweed

  • Animals must be raised outside the industrial food system, and have lived in their natural habitat with access to biodiverse foods

  • Switch from denatured processed food

  • Avoid gluten

How I Used My Chart To Heal Hypothyroidism

Thankfully for me, my hypothyroidism was temporary, and caused by using the birth control pill [Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo & Lo Loestrin FE] for one year. I had no symptoms of thyroid dysfunction prior to use of the pill, but in the first 6 months after I got off the pill, my charts indicated a temporary state of hypothyroidism & PCOS.

How did birth control cause hypothyroidism? 

High dose estrogen in hormonal birth control increases the activity of TBG (Thyroxine Binding Globulin). TGB binds to thyroid hormone. More circulating TGB leads to lower levels of free thyroid hormone available for use by our body. This is how the pill can cause & exacerbate hypothyroidism over time. 

What did I do about it?

When I first read Taking Charge of Your Fertility, I was amazed that you could gain this information just from taking your temperature. After 3 months of charts, it was obvious that I was in a hypothyroid state. I also felt just as bad as the temperatures said that I would. I was sluggish in the morning and had trouble operating at a normal level for an active 23 year old.

So I decided to go on the journey of healing my thyroid with the regimen I described above. I focused on eating nourishing fats & proteins, bone broths & leafy green vegetables. I took B12, and vitex & dong quai. I focused on de-stressing my life, focusing on my mental health, and sleeping more regularly.

How can I prove it?

In fertility awareness, we use the coverline to determine the difference between the range of preovulatory low temperatures, and postovulatory high temperatures. I have a coverline for every chart that I ovulate (I've yet to have an anovulatory month in 4 years!) Because it runs through the middle of your chart, it is a good indicator of the range of thyroid function every month. You will see in the chart below that as I healed my hypothyroidism, I saw an incremental increase in my average waking body temperature.

Here is a chart of my coverlines from February 2016, to July 2019

My coverline has increased 0.82 degrees F in just over three years! This is almost an entire degree, which is pretty significant as far as temperatures go. We measure things to the 100th of a degree in FAM, and the average ovulatory thermal shift is only 0.3 - 0.5 degrees higher than preovulatory temperatures, so an increase of 0.82 is striking.

I consider this set of data to be particularly exciting because it is a confirmation that I am now well within a normal metabolic & thyroid range. If I didn't have the advantage of utilizing FAM, I couldn't have measured how well my thyroid responded to my regimen. 

One of the biggest myths is that thyroid issues are incurable. 

I hope this post was informative and gives you better insight into using FAM to chart through your thyroid issues. There is a lot you can do to take matters into your own hands. When I learned my thyroid was struggling, it taught me that fertility awareness was so much more than a method of contraception. I was beginning to deepen my relationship with my body, and I was determined to see myself get better. Now, with this data, I hope to continue sharing it with you!



Citations

[1] Weschler, T. (2006). Taking charge of your fertility: The definitive guide to natural birth control, pregnancy achievement, and reproductive health. New York: Collins.

Nicole Capobianco
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