The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland located in the front of the throat that has an enormous impact on how our bodies operate—and accordingly, how we feel. It stores and produces hormones that affect the function of virtually every organ in our bodies.
Hypothyroidism is essentially an under-active thyroid gland. And when you consider the role that the thyroid plays in so many bodily functions, chief among them being your metabolism, heart, and body temperature, thenit makes sense that a sluggish thyroid would result in a slowing down of many of the systems in your body—including your digestive tract.
The muscles that line the digestive tract of the small and large intestines contract to move stool through the intestines. Hypothyroidism weakens those contractions, so the stool moves too slowly through your system. This is how constipation can happen for those struggling with hypothyroidism—many of who may not even know it.
When you have constipation because of hypothyroidism, it can lead to even deeper feelings of depression and fatigue, as these are some of the side effects of constipation. It’s important to rectify this problem because chronic constipation is a real issue and can lead to some serious problems including enlarged hemorrhoids and an increased risk of colorectal cancer. Thankfully, there are some things you can do to make going possible and easier.
If you are a thyroid patient experiencing constipation, your first step is to optimize your treatment, making sure your TSH, free thyroxine (free T4), and free triiodothyronine (free T3) are at levels that relieve thyroid symptoms. If your thyroid levels are in the normal range, but not optimal, changing your dosage of medication, adding a T3 medication, or switching to a natural desiccated thyroid drug may relieve your constipation. Increasing your fiber intake from food, taking fiber supplements, drinking enough water, taking magnesium supplements and probiotics can also help relieve constipation.
References:
https://www.sepalika.com/constipation/constipation-and-hypothyroidism/
http://www.healthcentral.com/slideshow/resolving-constipation-from-hypothyroidism
