Missing-Your-Sexual-Prime-Because-of-Your-Thyroid
Thyroid Nation
A personal experience from Danna Bowman, founder of Thyroid Nation.

What was supposed to be my sexual peak, which I was thoroughly looking forward to, was instead turning into a lonely, boring road, void of passion and desire (can you even imagine?). You hear all the time about women in their 30’s having their ‘prime’ time, and I was supposed to be one of them. However, one of the many unfortunate symptoms of a thyroid disorder, I came to find out a few years ago, is low libido or no sex drive. Before I was officially diagnosed with hypothyroidism, this disappointing side effect was slowly deteriorating my sex life. What’s worse, I didn’t even realize it for several months.

During my now 18+ years of marriage, my love life had always been, gratefully, very balanced. As my body slowly began to destroy my thyroid gland, the pendulum had swung entirely to my husband’s side of the playing field. Sexual thoughts decreased to a virtual desert of blah feelings and imagery, where once a lush garden had been. Orgasms were now a thing of the past. Really?! This fact, along with a slew of other issues I was encountering, drove me to the edge of my sanity.

As I turned the page on my thirties, I was determined to lead an active, healthy lifestyle throughout my forties! Recognizing and fighting the aging process with healthy foods, regular exercise and overall balance, was my big plan. But, even being a ZUMBA® Fitness Instructor and teaching several classes a week, could not stop the slow decline my body was undertaking. Like a clogged artery, the change was so slow that I didn’t realize how sick beautiful-inside-and-out-book-gena-lee-nolin-thyroid-nationI was becoming. My thyroid was failing me and my body. My sexual peak, the one everyone boasts about, I thought had up and left me.

My mental state was beginning to deteriorate, too. “What is wrong with me?” pinged in my mind at least 100 times a day. I was only 40 years old, could I really be losing it already?  It made me start questioning everything, just as all women who are feeling exhausted and vulnerable, do. I worried that maybe I won’t ever be able to enjoy sex again, that my husband won’t love me anymore, that I don’t feel desirable, this is all my fault, and so on.

Make sure your doctor knows all your symptoms and that he or she runs a full #Thyroid Panel. And by all means, don't forget to talk about the sex Click To Tweet

After my 4th doctor and trying a combination of medications, supplements and nutrition plans, I finally turned a corner. There was a light at the end of the tunnel. A path once littered with what seemed like hundreds of blood tests, saliva tests, urine tests and under-achieving medications that were all over the map, was finally leading me in the right direction. I began thinking about sex again. A pleasure I had simply forgotten about altogether. Men think about sex all day long and I was finally gaining ground and catching up. I was elated. I was excited, again!

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Candid sex talk for me at any level is not easy (my closest friends might disagree), but I know it is an important, every day topic. Most women don’t like to discuss sexual issues only their sexual successes. I felt the urgent need to let other women out there know that if they are feeling this way, they are not alone. We can’t forget about the men out there, either. A study from the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reported that over 30% of men suffer sexual inadequacy for one reason or another, obviously not all thyroid related, but an issue just the same. Sex is an important part of our lives and one that needs to be discussed and dealt with delicately. With the proper diagnoses and medicines, a normal life, sex drive, and shall I say it, even orgasms, can and will return. Make sure your doctor knows all your symptoms and that he or she runs a full Thyroid Panel. And by all means, don’t forget to talk about the sex. (or lack thereof)

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About the Author

danna-bowman-thyroid-nation-profile-1Danna Bowman is the founder of Thyroid Nation. She developed Hashimoto’s after years of unknowinly suffering with hypothyroidism, hormonal imbalances and adrenal fatigue. Hypothyroidism runs in her family but it was never discussed, unfortunately. Her husband, 2 kids and her, picked up and moved, sight unseen, from Texas to Costa Rica in 2008. She was accurately diagnosed, however, they only offer Levothyroxine or Thyroidectomy as a solution for the disease. After a year of suffering, she turned to the internet. She found a doctor in Arizona that would consult with her and send Natural Dessicated Thyroid to her. After learning and realizing the misinformation and lack of information in Costa Rica and worldwide, she founded the website to help educate others. In 2015, she launched Thyroid Nation RADIO, a weekly thyroid and health, LIVE radio show with her co-host,Tiffany Mladinich.

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