Hashimoto\'s Thyroiditis Lifestyle Interventions for Finding and Treating the Root Cause

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While this mini-computer is costly, fertility monitors are covered under
Flex Spending and Health Spending accounts. Good to know for those
who “use it or lose it” at the end of the year or want to plan for next year.
It is also a one-time purchase. One month of brand-name birth control
pills can cost upwards of $100, so the monitor pays for itself within a
few months! (I included this last sentence for those of you who have
husbands who work in finance, like mine does.)

This monitor can also be used to plan a future pregnancy when the time
is right!

Of course, if the benefits of oral contraceptives outweigh the risks, such
as for certain serious medical conditions, a woman may need to continue
taking the pill. In that case, supplementing with probiotics, magnesium,
zinc, minerals, B vitamins, and vitamin C is strongly recommended.

Female Sex Hormones

Estrogen

Estrogen has been found to perpetuate inflammatory and autoim-
mune disease, while progesterone deficiency and estrogen fluctuations
can worsen the autoimmune attack.

Estrogen appears to enhance Th1 activity, whereas androgens (DHEA,
testosterone) and progesterone suppress Th1. A certain estrogen metabo-
lite, known as 16a-hydroxyestrone (16a-OHE), has been implicated in
proliferating autoimmune disease and has been found in excess in those
with autoimmunity.

Progesterone

Progesterone deficiency can surge into Th1 dominance. This explains
why the peak onset of Hashimoto’s occurs during menopause, when the
body’s progesterone drops, or after pregnancy, when a rapid drop in pro-
gesterone occurs after the delivery.

Hormonal imbalances help explain why women are affected by autoim-
mune conditions more often than men. Other substances, such as hor-
mones in non-organic meats, endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in
personal care products, and estrogenic activity of soy products, can induce
estrogen dominance and thus worsen or perpetuate autoimmunity.

Increasing fiber intake may also help eliminate excess circulating
hormones.