I want to share my story in hopes that it may help some of the other hypothyroid women out there who are starting HRT. I have been treated with Synthroid for hypothyroidism for the past 35 years and my thyroid levels have remained stable during that time other than a few minor tweaks.
I started HRT (E Patch, Progesterone, Vaginal E) in November. Almost out of the gate, I began feeling amped up (like I’d had ten energy drinks), my heart raced, I couldn’t concentrate, and my libido went wild (picture a middle school boy crossed with a feral cat 🤪). We went through the whole gamut of thinking it was too low of a patch, then a progesterone intolerance, then trouble with caffeine metabolism. We changed doses, routes, etc.
I am an allied health professional and honestly never considered it could be my thyroid because my levels had been stable forever. Finally, my meno practitioner ran a thyroid panel and… whoop there it is! Apparently, estradiol improves the efficiency at which Synthroid (Levothyroxine) works. I had been flipped into hyperthyroidism. We are now titrating my thyroid meds down and all my annoying symptoms have resolved.
I share this to hopefully help other women down the road. Heather Hirsch also just did a post on this exact thing, and it is indeed a thing. Get that thyroid checked!
TDLR: Estradiol can improve the efficiency of thyroid meds. If you’re feeling anxious, amped up - get your thyroid levels checked!
Edit: Apparently, it can also have the opposite effect on thyroid and throw you into hypothyroidism - either way - get your thyroid checked if you feel off!
Double Edit: Based on people’s responses, HRT can fuck up your thyroid in all sorts of ways. If I’d known this early on, I would have asked for thyroid testing much sooner in my HRT journey. 🫠