Any Connection With Thyroid And Sexual Desire?

[dkmortensen]

This just sounded like the right place to place this. I am new to this post thing but I think that I can figure it out.

My wife a wonderful person, had thyroid surgery a few years ago. I am trying to figure out if their is a connection with the thyroid and the sexual desire of a person. For example I will be horny all day and send text messages about how the night will go so that she can be thinking about us when the kids go to bed. When it comes to the time after the kids are asleep she is wiped out because of the days activities. All she wants to do is go to sleep. She tells me that it is not that I am doing a great job of setting the mood or giving her great ideas, its just that she is so tired and cannot do anything. I make sure to give her oral on a regular basis because she has needs too and I try not to put them aside.

It is just hard to try to have a great evening when you know fatigue is going to creep in on the night. She is on medicine, I know that it takes a while to get the dose right. We think that we have it right but sometimes her thyroid acts up again. As they only took out half of it.

[hyokahey]

Yes. The exhaustion aspect of thyroid issues effect desire. There are several aspects of desire, not only the physical, but emotional, psychological, and spiritual. With thyroid problems, the spirit may be willing, but the body is weak.

You might try more often upon waking; there is often more energy for play then.

[ToyQueen]

I have a couple of thoughts. First, thyroid issues can definitely contribute to this problem. But the main thing that I see is that this is a woman who is exhausted after caring for a house and kids. I don't know if she also works outside the home. But I can understand the exhaustion. Is there a chance that you could take charge of the kids for an evening--fix dinner, get the kids to bed, etc... Then if she can take a short nap and maybe a bath, she wouldn't be quite so tired and would have more desire.

Just some thoughts. I hope this helps.

[ladylove]

I agree with toy, It sounds as though your wife is exhausted from the daily responsibility of caring for the children and a home. Giving her a break will do wonders for your relationship. Let us know how it goes.

[dkmortensen]

Those are all great ideas. My wife only works 2 full days a week on mondays it is my day to watch the kids and get the chores done around the house. I try to have dinner done when she comes home. But this is on mon. I can try to be home more to help. I grew up on a farm so I am used to working from sun up to sun down. When I am not working my full time job I am helping others with projects. Now that winter is coming upon us it will get slower and I will help more around the house. My kids do have a bedtime they are in bed by 8 each night which helps.

One other thing I love to cook so keeping me in the kitchen is not a hard thing to do. I do try to find the time to help or cook at least three times a week.

[leslieanne]

dkm - it sounds as if you are pitching in, that said I don't know a woman alive who doesn't often need additional help with the kids and house.

Although her thyroid problem has been diagnosed it does not sound as if all is well yet. As a physician (Ob/Gyn) my thoughts/questions are as follows:

1. When you say her thyroid acts up from time to time - what do you mean?

2. Is her doctor aware of this?

3. If yes has she been asked to record symptoms to see if there is any pattern to when her thyroid acts up?

4. If no then she needs to see her doctor and talk with him/her about it!

5. Has she been asked to do any blood tests to check her thyroid hormones when her thyroid acts up?

6. How often has her thyroid function been tested since she was started on medication? Yes it can take time to get the medication dosage "correct" with respect to her hormone levels, but if her symptoms persist additional adjustments maybe required.

7. Has she been tested for other possible causes of her fatigue - for example what are her menses like - if they are particularly heavy she is at increased risk for anemia. Her blood count should be check 2-3 times 1-2 months apart to assure that her blood count is stable.

8. Does she have any other symptoms other then fatigue? If so what?

9. Is she sleeping well at night? How many hours of sleep is she getting - straight, not walking up for the kids, to go the bathroom, etc?

9. Does she have any time for her - a time to relax, chill, mentally take a break? Interestingly enough there is significant data to support the need for either regular activity such as walking/running/swimming to help combat fatigue - sounds counter intuitive I know, but true. Yoga/meditation are also a good activities to help decrease the stress one feels.

Hope you don't mind the list of questions - hope they help ........ any and all of these may be having an impact and are worth discussing with her doctor. While fatique is not infrequent for working moms - it shouldn't be a regular occurance and needs additional evaluation.

leslieanne

[dkmortensen]

dkm - it sounds as if you are pitching in, that said I don't know a woman alive who doesn't often need additional help with the kids and house.

Although her thyroid problem has been diagnosed it does not sound as if all is well yet. As a physician (Ob/Gyn) my thoughts/questions are as follows:

1. When you say her thyroid acts up from time to time - what do you mean?

2. Is her doctor aware of this?

3. If yes has she been asked to record symptoms to see if there is any pattern to when her thyroid acts up?

4. If no then she needs to see her doctor and talk with him/her about it!

5. Has she been asked to do any blood tests to check her thyroid hormones when her thyroid acts up?

6. How often has her thyroid function been tested since she was started on medication? Yes it can take time to get the medication dosage "correct" with respect to her hormone levels, but if her symptoms persist additional adjustments maybe required.

7. Has she been tested for other possible causes of her fatigue - for example what are her menses like - if they are particularly heavy she is at increased risk for anemia. Her blood count should be check 2-3 times 1-2 months apart to assure that her blood count is stable.

8. Does she have any other symptoms other then fatigue? If so what?

9. Is she sleeping well at night? How many hours of sleep is she getting - straight, not walking up for the kids, to go the bathroom, etc?

9. Does she have any time for her - a time to relax, chill, mentally take a break? Interestingly enough there is significant data to support the need for either regular activity such as walking/running/swimming to help combat fatigue - sounds counter intuitive I know, but true. Yoga/meditation are also a good activities to help decrease the stress one feels.

Hope you don't mind the list of questions - hope they help ........ any and all of these may be having an impact and are worth discussing with her doctor. While fatique is not infrequent for working moms - it shouldn't be a regular occurance and needs additional evaluation.

leslieanne

Leslieanne:

I will answer the best that I can.

The reason I say that her thyroid has been acting up is that she will be fine on her medicine for about 3 to 6 months, meaning her energy levels are fine. Then for a few months she will be very tired all through the day. She will do the minimum around the house with the kids. When I get home then I will help get a lot of the things done around the house, she will tell me that she has just been very exausted. Then at around 10:30 at night its like someone flipped a switch she will go right to sleep.

Her doctor has only asked for a blood test twice a year. He has changed the dose twice in the last 3 yrs of her having the surgery. There was one time that she had low energy and decided to get a blood test. The doctor said that her thyroid level was not significant enough to make any changes to her medicine. At one time she thought that her thyroid was over active so she halved the dose herself for a couple of days until she felt she could go back to the full dose. It is just frustrating because the doctor does not live in the same town he is 4 hrs away. His secretary is less than desirable to say the least, messages do not get delivered in a timely manner.

Now I must say too that she still has half of her thyroid intact so her thyroid is still producing and sometimes it will act up or not be producing enough so I can see why it would be so hard to keep the levels consistent.

No she has not been asked to record any of her symptoms. Other than the surgery and the occasional blood tests she does not talk to her doctor.

When she was pregnant with both of our kids the doctors were constantly watching her Iron levels. They said that she was slightly anemic. When she had both of the kids she had a high iron diet. Now I know that having kids can take from your levels so that I am aware of. I just wonder if she is constantly low on iron.

Now as far as her alone time trying to relax. I try to give her time. I am not home about 4 days out of the week for about 14 hours. I stop in just to get something to eat and then run again. Again I grew up on a farm. She is good at getting the kids to bed at 8 and for a few hours she will watch TV or read a book. That is her time. Just like my time is working on things.

She does get a full nights sleep no waking up at night. The kids sleep all night which is a great thing.

I hope this helps. I appreciate the questions. It feels like we have been trying to get through this in the dark. Thank you,

DKM

[leslieanne]

dkm - I'm sorry to hear that her doctor is so far from you and so unresponsive - just makes it all that much more difficult for her and you. I'm glad to hear that she is sleeping well - allows that issue to be taken off the table and makes it much more likely that there is something else contributing to her fatigue.

Is her doctor an Endocrinologist or a surgeon? Does she have a Family Medicince doctor or Internal Medicine doctor that she can see who is closer? If she is anemic that of course can add into the problem. That said I think she would benefit from closer monitoring over at least a few months to get a better handle on what's happening with her thyroid hormone levels.

I would suggest that she track both her menstrual cycles (start and stop days) as well as tracking the other symptoms she has - particularly when she feels her thyroid is acting up. The easiest way to do this is on a regular calendar - use letters to indicate certain symptoms - example Red S for period start, Red E for period end, Black F for fatigue, etc. While this may sound sort of weird or hokey there may be a pattern of some sort - it certainly won't hurt to give it a go. If there does appear to be a pattern this can be helpful to her doctor.

Since I don't know your living situation I don't want to be overly pushy, but I do think she really needs to find a physician closer who can help sort through the symptoms she is experiencing.

[dkmortensen]

dkm - I'm sorry to hear that her doctor is so far from you and so unresponsive - just makes it all that much more difficult for her and you. I'm glad to hear that she is sleeping well - allows that issue to be taken off the table and makes it much more likely that there is something else contributing to her fatigue.

Is her doctor an Endocrinologist or a surgeon? Does she have a Family Medicince doctor or Internal Medicine doctor that she can see who is closer? If she is anemic that of course can add into the problem. That said I think she would benefit from closer monitoring over at least a few months to get a better handle on what's happening with her thyroid hormone levels.

I would suggest that she track both her menstrual cycles (start and stop days) as well as tracking the other symptoms she has - particularly when she feels her thyroid is acting up. The easiest way to do this is on a regular calendar - use letters to indicate certain symptoms - example Red S for period start, Red E for period end, Black F for fatigue, etc. While this may sound sort of weird or hokey there may be a pattern of some sort - it certainly won't hurt to give it a go. If there does appear to be a pattern this can be helpful to her doctor.

Since I don't know your living situation I don't want to be overly pushy, but I do think she really needs to find a physician closer who can help sort through the symptoms she is experiencing.

Thank you for the great advise.

Her doctor is an ear, nose, and throat specialist. We will document the patterns and see if there is anything in common. We will also look for a doctor closer that can give us better attention.

Again thank you.

[leslieanne]

dkm - since she has been seen by the ENT doctor (s)he will not be as adapt to do the frequent follow up on her hormone levels. In addition it is unlikely that (s)he will have the inclination to look at the "whole picture" and will focus only on the thyroid test results. Either an internal medicine, family medicine, or endocrinologist will be able to provide a more comprehensive approach to figuring out what is going on. Some OB/Gyn physicians maybe willing to do this, but that would not be my first recommendation.

Please feel free to send me a message if you have any other questions that you feel I might be able to help with. I can't of course diagnosis, treat or manage, however I can be a resource if needed.

Hope things improve for her and you over time. leslieanne

[mailahn97]

I have been dealing with thyroid issues since age 13....I am not 36. I can basically tell when it is time that my meds need to be adjusted. I get tested every 2-3 months. I sometimes goe a year or two with no adjustment but then at times I am changed everytime I have my levels checked. I have not had any trouble with it affecting my desire or ability thankfully. I have learned via my endocrinologist that I am better off doing 5-6 small meals to keep my metabolism going which in turn works better for my thyroid.