The role of thyroid in male fertility
The role of thyroid in male fertility
The thyroid gland is a small node in the neck that is responsible for producing a hormone called thyroxine, which is very effective in physical and nervous growth, normal functioning of the brain, nervous system, maintaining the body, and producing energy and metabolism and its size is very important in the health of the human body. When the thyroid gland becomes overactive or underactive, it affects body functions. The problem of this issue is not insignificant in male fertility, that’s why we want to talk about the effect of thyroid in male fertility in this article. Stay with us until the end of the article.
What is thyroid?
One of the most important endocrine glands of the body, which weighs approximately 15 grams, is the thyroid gland, which is a protein in appearance that is located in the front of the neck. Among the most important thyroid gland is the regulation of the body’s metabolism and other body activities.
The thyroid gland, which makes T3 and T4 hormones, controls the body’s metabolism. This gland is controlled by the pituitary gland, which is located in the brain.
Cause of thyroid gland
There are factors that affect the development of the thyroid gland and change its function. These factors are as follows:
-Genetics
-Having autoimmune diseases and even underlying diseases
-Having infection
-Not having balance between prolactin and estrogen hormones
-Having a lot of stress
-Exposure to electromagnetic radiation and chemicals such as pesticides
The effect of thyroid on male fertility
When men’s thyroid is underactive or overactive, there may be many possible problems. If a man has an overactive thyroid, it is possible to produce enough sperms without movement, and this issue causes male infertility. Of course this problem can be treated due to the advancement of medical science in this field.
Hypothyroidism in men may cause an increase in the production of one of the pituitary hormones called prolactin, followed by a decrease in testosterone, which causes problems in men.
According to research conducted in 2012, men with hypothyroidism produce fewer sperm than men without thyroid problems, and this has a direct impact on male fertility.
Thyroid factor on male performance
According to the conducted research, hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism is significant on men’s sexual performance. In this research, a group of 34 patients with hyperthyroidism and a group of 14 patients with hypothyroidism were selected and the results of the research are as follows:
- Men who had hyperthyroidism, 50% of them experienced premature ejaculation and about 15% of them had an erection dysfunction.
- Men with hypothyroidism, 65% have erectile dysfunction, late ejaculation and low libido.
It is not clear what effect it has on men’s sexual performance, but these symptoms improved in patients with hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism after the treatment.
Common symptoms of hyperthyroidism in men
In addition to the effect of hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism on men’s reproductive performance, there are other common symptoms which are similar to the women symptoms suffering from hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism, which include:
- Excessive sweating at normal temperature
- Extreme heat at normal emotional temperature
- Severe weight loss
- Changes in mood (anger)
- Stress and anxiety
- Hand tremors
- Heart palpitations
- Increased appetite
- Diarrhea
- Insomnia (sleep disorders)
It is worth noting that thyroid cancer may be symptomless in the beginning, and in the last stages it may cause voice hoarseness and cause difficulty in swallowing.
Symptoms of hypothyroidism in men
Among the common symptoms of hypothyroidism in men and women are:
- Feeling weak and lethargic
- Depression
- Disorders in memory
- Having hair loss
- Having pain in the throat area
- Constipation
- Low heart rate
- Creating problems in menstrual cycle
- Gaining weight
- Increasing blood cholesterol
The role of the thyroid in fertility
The role of thyroid in fertility should be taken very seriously because this system can affect the nervous and brain systems of people. It starts its activity through placenta in the twelfth week of the pregnancy.
Therefore, according to this issue, women who are suffering from thyroid are more prone to miscarriage than other people in the first trimester of pregnancy. Since this issue is very high, it is better for people with thyroid disease to be under the supervision of a specialist before trying to get pregnant, so that the level of thyroid gland function is checked, and most importantly, this issue causes the woman to experience a high-risk pregnancy.
Last word
Usually, thyroid disorders are more common in women than in men, but this does not mean that men ignore this issue, for this reason, it is better to go to a urologist to fix and treat thyroid in men, because if this issue is ignored, It can play a negative role in men’s fertility.
