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Sexual Development, Inhibited

Sexual Development, Inhibited

It is well known that the function of the thyroid system is very critical in the normal growth and development of people. When babies are first born, one of the first things checked is thyroid function. This is to prevent complications that would arise with deficient thyroid system function, primarily mental and growth retardation. We have already discussed the interaction between the thyroid hormone and female hormone systems. One of the first things checked in patients with PMS, infertility, or irregular periods is thyroid system status. How a person’s body develops sexually certainly has a lot to do with the influence of available sex hormones. It is easy to understand how the thyroid system might be an important consideration in patients who are experiencing delayed growth and/or delayed secondary sexual characteristic development such as the growth of pubic and axillary hair, facial hair in men, genital development, and breast development. One memorable patient I was treating had come from a family with a hereditary predisposition for Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome (her mother’s Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome also responded well to the WT3 protocol). This 18-year-old young woman had one menstrual cycle when she was in the 8th grade and had not had another on her own since. She had difficulty gaining weight, was extremely fatigued, had significant hair loss, and several other symptoms of Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome. At the age of 14, because of very little sexual differentiation or development, she was started on female hormones and did enjoy gaining a little bit more weight in the hips and upper legs. She was able to have periods with the regulation of these female hormones, but still was not developing physical sexual characteristics in a way that she and others would consider normal. At the age of 18 years old, she was started on the WT3 protocol. Her Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome symptoms improved over a period of 6 to 8 months or more. Finally, when her symptoms of fatigue, hair loss, and other Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome symptoms were 80 to 90% resolved, she was able to wean off the female hormones. Later with further adjustment of her WT3 protocol, she was able to have a period on her own again for the first time in 10 years. It had been the only other time in her life that she had a menstrual cycle on her own without the aid of female hormones. She was also quite pleased to notice, that at the age of 18, she began to enjoy the development of physical sexual changes. Her skin became less pale with a thickening of subcutaneous (under the skin) tissue, which resulted in a softening of her features causing them to appear more feminine and womanly. Also at the age of 18 her breasts began developing. Her menstrual cycles were irregular at first, then were coming every 2 weeks, then every 3 weeks, and now she enjoys a normal monthly menstrual cycle. These improvements have persisted, even though the WT3 protocol has been weaned to extremely minimal levels.

Hers is a good case to demonstrate how some people’s growth and development can be greatly affected by thyroid system function and that impairment in this function can be commonly overlooked. It can be easily treated and have an untold influence on the lives of these patients. Her case is among the most notable because of the enormous impact that I feel that proper thyroid treatment has had on her life.