(Written By David Jaynes)
The thyroid is a small butterfly shaped gland situated just below your Adam’s apple.
And this gland can have enormous impact on your sexual function as a man
The gland produces two thyroid hormones that are involved in making sure many of your body systems are working well, including metabolism, weight, and mood, among many others.
Low Thyroid in Men
It is not surprising that a malfunction of your thyroid gland can cause many unrelated symptoms and health problems.
Hypothyroidism is a condition where the thyroid doesn’t produce enough thyroid hormones, sometimes caused by lack of iodine in the diet.
This can cause obesity, joint pain, heart disease, infertility and a host of men’s health concerns.
These conditions are serious enough that they can emasculate you, physically and emotionally.
In a study conducted on 48 men with thyroid conditions...
The prevalence of low sex drive, delayed ejaculation, erectile dysfunction, and premature ejaculation was seen in 64.3% of men with hypothyroid.
In the same study, only 7.1% of the low thyroid men had premature ejaculation.
This low number is understandable as most of them experience the opposite, which is delayed ejaculation.
Low Thyroid = Low Sex Drive
Fatigue can lead to low sex drive.
Hypothyroidism can contribute to this issue, as in the case of Graves’ disease, the most common type of hyperthyroidism which is known to cause extreme fatigue.
Optimal levels of thyroid hormones are required for your body’s energy production.
A drop in hormone production leads to lower energy levels, causing you to feel weak and tired.
Your sexual desire and function can take a hit, and the result becomes noticeable in the bedroom.
Other conditions associated with thyroid disorders that can contribute to sexual dysfunction in men are depression and mood disorders….
Low testosterone and high prolactin (more on this below).
Hypothyroid & Erectile Dysfunction
Hypothyroidism is common in patients with erectile dysfunction.
In 2013, a study was conducted to investigate the association between hypothyroidism and erectile dysfunction.
109 erectile dysfunction patients, 29.36% of them with hypothyroidism, and 32 controls were included.
The international Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) was evaluated.
The results demonstrated that the IIEF-5 scores among patients with hypothyroidism were significantly lower than the controls.
Lower scores mean more difficulty getting a boner compared to the controls who were more able to achieve an erection.
Low Thyroid = Low Testosterone
One study demonstrated that hypothyroid can significantly lower levels of free testosterone in the blood.
According to the researchers, the total level of testosterone remained stable in this study, but Free Testosterone dropped due to an increase in sex hormone-binding globulin.
And remember, when your testosterone is bound up by this carrier protein, you body can’t use it.
Delayed Ejaculation Caused By Low Thyroid
According to the Sexual Medicine Society of North America hypothyroidism increases the chance of delayed ejaculation.
Hormones are largely responsible for ejaculatory responses, so when you’re running low on glucocorticoids…
A steroid hormone that regulates the ejaculatory response of the body, you’re more likely to take an excessive amount of time before you reach the peak.
Oxytocin is another hormone that is associated with ejaculatory reflex.
With hypothyroidism, your body produces less thyroid stimulating hormones (TSH).
This basically screws up the production of the other hormones in your body creating an imbalance that may result in delayed ejaculatory responses.
And that’s not all, low thyroid can also cause changes in nerve sensitivity and blood vessels.
This impacts the nerve endings that are found on the penis, making you less sensitive to stimulation, thus, making it harder for you to orgasm.
High Prolactin & Low Thyroid
What is prolactin and why is it so important?
Well, prolactin is a hormone produced by the pituitary gland that influences the function of the testicles.
An underactive thyroid may cause you to produce high levels of prolactin in the blood, which can cause a slew of sexual issues.
Like what?
High levels of prolactin can cause hyperprolactinemia that leads to erectile dysfunction, low testosterone levels, decreased libido, and painful sex.
It can also cause tenderness of your man-boobs, and believe it or not, milk production!
It is very rare among men but it can and does happen.
Reduced Semen Quality
An underactive thyroid can also affect your ability to procreate.
Low levels of thyroid hormone can reduce the quality and count of the sperm, because of reduced function of the testicles.
Hypothyroidism has also been shown to impact the morphology of the sperm.
This means the size and shape of your swimmers, which determine their ability to swim and survive in the uterus, is greatly impacted.
The good news is infertility and sexual dysfunction in men associated with low thyroid hormones is reversible by getting the hormone levels up.
Testicular Problems
Thyroid hormones impact the development, growth, and metabolism of all tissues of the body, and the testicles are no exception.
Hormonal changes throws off the process of sperm production, cell differentiation, production of steroid hormones, and sperm motility.
Thyroid issues during development and adulthood greatly impacts the morphology, physiology, and functionality of testicular cells.
Prolonged thyroid hormone deficiency may even cause the balls to degenerate over time.
Low Thyroid and Sexual Dysfunction in Men – Conclusion:
Fortunately, if you have low thyroid there are many things you can do to reverse the situation naturally.
