When Thyroid Levels Go Down

Do you feel as if your "get up and go" got up and went? Maybe you're tired all the time or don't feel as peppy as you used to.

If you're a woman over 50, there's a pretty good chance you may be suffering from hypothyroidism. Dr. Steven Hotze writes about that in his new book, "Hormones, Health, and Happiness."

"It has to do with the change of female hormones," Dr. Hotze tells The Early Show co-anchor Rene Syler. "It doesn't just occur when you're 50. The change in the female hormones often times occurs right after childbirth, after your first or second child. By the time she is 30 or 35, she loses progesterone. Those levels fall. She has more estrogen than progesterone. That reduces her ability to produce thyroid."

He writes: "Estrogen dominance causes the liver to produce increasing levels of thyroid-binding globulin (TBG), a protein that has a strong attraction to circulating thyroid hormones. When TBG latches onto a thyroid hormone, the hormone is no longer free to enter into the cells and be used for metabolic reactions."

He says that by the time a woman is 50 years old, her thyroid function will decrease by 50 percent, causing her to feel exhausted, depressed and wondering how she's going to make it through her day. But the thyroid lab tests may read normal.

"Since thyroid hormones enable your cells to generate energy," he writes, "is it any wonder that as your thyroid hormone level declines, your energy level also decreases? If a doctor relied solely on a lab test to evaluate your thyroid function, he would tell you that your condition is 'normal' — but you wouldn't feel normal with 50 percent less thyroid hormone. To ensure that you have plenty of energy and feel healthy, your doctor should strive to maintain your thyroid hormone level in the range that is optimal for you."

He tells Syler: "In my opinion — and the way we treat it at our center in Houston, Texas, and I write about it in the book — we listen to the patient and let her tell us her symptoms. And then we will treat her based upon her clinical symptoms and give her a therapeutic trial of thyroids."

Click here to read an excerpt from his book.