In the past, we’ve talked about how low thyroid hormone levels can cause infertility for women and that it’s not just a rare occurrence. In fact, it’s so common that it’s standard practice to test Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) levels to check thyroid function for women having difficulty getting pregnant.
I’ve also found that women can have fertility challenges due to consistently low temperatures and hypothyroid symptoms, as seen in Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome, even when they have ”normal” TSH. Fortunately, once body temperatures are normalized it’s common for women to successfully become pregnant.
But what about the effects of thyroid hormone on male fertility? Can hypothyroidism in men also be a cause of infertility for a couple?
The answer is yes. But the role of thyroid on testosterone and fertility hasn’t always been well- accepted or understood, until recent research.
Animal studies have shown us that low thyroid hormone can lead to low testosterone levels, a hormone known to be important for reproductive function and fertility. Hypothyroidism can also be linked to low libido or impotence. Some small studies have suggested that hypothyroidism can effect the production and maturation of sperm. Interestingly, some studies have also shown that infertility can be linked to hyperthyroidism as well, which shows us the importance of having balance within the endocrine system.
Hypothyroidism in men is thought to be rare, but what if we looked past TSH tests and considered the diagnosis of Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome as a risk factor for male infertility? That might explain the currently unexplained infertility in many men. Since thirty percent of infertility cases for couples are due to male infertility, maybe many more couples could conceive simply by evaluating the man for Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome, instead of just looking for low TSH levels.
References:
Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2013; 4: 174.
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