It wasn’t the menopause making me fat — it was my thyroid
As Eighties pop star Carol Decker found out, the symptoms are VERY similar . . .
Carol Decker has never had to watch her weight. The lead singer of the eighties band T’Pau has always been the envy of her friends because she managed to retain her size eight figure without much effort.
But when she was 53, all that changed and the 5ft 4in singer of the hits china In Your Hand and Heart and Soul put on 2st in a year, taking her from 7½ st to 9½ st.
and no matter what she tried, she couldn’t shift it.
‘cutting back on carbs and spending more time in the gym just weren’t working,’ she says. ‘I was two years into my menopause, so I thought: “This is it — you hit your 50s, you kiss goodbye to your waistline and turn into a sphere.” ’
But that wasn’t the only change she’d noticed. ‘I started to feel uncommonly tired all the time,’ says carol, now 57.
‘after concerts I’d be shattered and I didn’t want to do anything except go to sleep. at home, by 3pm I was done for the day.
‘My children were 12 and eight and I needed my energy for them. I found I needed to sleep eight to ten hours a day, but I never got that because of my busy life and school-age kids. I was constantly napping.’
Initially, she blamed this on the menopause, too. But after a year without any improvement, her husband, richard coates, 50, encouraged her to seek medical advice.
Her doctor agreed that the tiredness could be due to the menopause, but also gave her a blood test for anaemia. carol had been anaemic during her pregnancies. ‘ The breathlessness and general lethargy were similar,’ she says.
However, the test came back clear. Still feeling exhausted, she asked for more tests — and a simple blood test finally pinpointed not just the cause of her tiredness, but her weight gain, too: carol has a severely underactive thyroid gland.
It’s a common problem and carol’s not the only one to confuse the symptoms with the menopause. about one in 50 women and one in 1,000 men have an underactive thyroid gland, also known as hypothyroidism.
But lyn Mynott, chief executive of the charity Thyroid Uk, says the figures could be far higher, as many people aren’t going to their GP, often putting their symptoms down to the time of life or 21stcentury fatigue.
HYPoTHYroIDISM stems from a problem with the thyroid gland in the neck, reducing the amount of the hormone thyroxine it produces.
‘The thyroid gland regulates your metabolism, so if it becomes underactive, lots of things in the body slow down or don’t work very well,’ says Miles Black, a surgeon at the london Thyroid clinic.
‘as a result, people feel much more tired than usual. They also put on weight and often feel cold. Their gut slows down so they become constipated and they may become prone to dry skin, thinning hair and muscle or joint pain.
‘Some people also have a vague brain fog or feel depressed.’
Hypothyroidism can occur at any stage in life — babies can be born with it — but it most commonly occurs in women between the ages of 40 and 50. at this age, some presume their symptoms are just a part of the menopause or getting older.
‘ The chief difference is that hypothyroidism does not cause hot flushes as the menopause does,’ says Mr Black.
‘Normally, the hypothyroidism symptoms will become more extreme: they may develop a puffy face, a deepening of their voice or even goitre (a swelling in the neck).
‘any woman who has unremitting unexplained fatigue should seek a blood test to rule out a thyroid issue.’
early diagnosis is preferable because if left untreated hypothyroidism can increase the risk of heart disease. This is because it encourages an increase in levels of bad lDl cholesterol, which can block arteries.
Quite why the thyroid gland should suddenly struggle to produce enough thyroxine during middle age, or at any point in life, is unclear.
‘It may be genetics, as it does tend to run in families, and it may also be hormonal as it does tend to affect women more. or it could be that the thyroid gland just winds down with age,’ says Mr Black. ‘The most likely reason is a combination of all these things.’
However, there are some acknowledged causes. often it can be caused by an autoimmune attack, which means that the body’s immune system produces antibodies that attack the thyroid gland.
Some medications, such as the heart rhythm drug amiodarone and some steroids, can suppress the action of the thyroid gland.
Pregnancy, which puts pressure on the thyroid to produce more thyroxine, can also temporarily induce hypothyroidism.
The condition can be picked up by a blood test that checks for levels of TSH, thyroid stimulating hormone. High levels suggest the thyroid may not be working effectively, as it is having to be driven hard by the TSH to push out adequate amounts of thyroxine.
SoMeTIMeS a blood test may also be given to check for levels of thyroxine, also called T4. ‘Some people have what we call subclinical hypothyroidism, which means their TSH is high, but their T4 is normal, and some people have symptoms, even though their TSH and T4 levels are fine,’ says Mr Black.
‘It is not a clear cut area and different doctors have different attitudes to this. I normally treat these people with levothyroxine (a synthetic form of the thyroxine hormone) and see if the symptoms improve.’ levothyroxine is the standard treatment for hypothyroidism.
carol Decker has been on levothyroxine since her diagnosis in 2011, though she was initially reluctant to take tablets.
‘I don’t like taking medicine if I can avoid it,’ says carol, who lives with her family in Henley- onThames. ‘I told my doctor: “I know you’re going to prescribe thyroxine, but I’ve been on the internet and I’m concerned about the potential side-effects.”’
These include headaches, diarrhoea, chest pain, feeling restless, temporary hair loss, muscle cramps, an itchy rash and trouble sleeping.
‘When I asked my doctor what would happen if I didn’t take the medication, she replied: “Your heartbeat will get slower and slower over the years until one day it will stop and you will die.” ’
Despite her fears, carol concedes she felt better within a week of starting the treatment.
‘I’ve not felt any side-effects. In fact, I’ve only felt better. Getting my energy back was paramount. Before it was a struggle just going about my day and making it through to the evening. I began to dread performing as I could barely stay awake or summon up the energy or enthusiasm to do it. But since being on thyroxine, I’ve not had such problems and feel like I did before the symptoms started. I feel and look more like my old self. I’m 9st, and I’d like to get under that so I can wear my lovely old clothes again.’
Just why she developed hypothyroidism is unclear, but there may be a genetic link. carol’s mother, Patsy, who died from renal failure in 2014 aged 78, also developed an underactive thyroid in her 60s.
THe diagnosis hasn’ t altered my lifestyle or habits, but if I feel tired I get a bit paranoid as to why and then I remind myself everyone gets tired,’ she says.
carol is moving a bit slower than normal — but only because she is using crutches and an air boot, having fractured her right ankle after falling while rehearsing.
‘ It was a serious injury: apparently, I’ve been lucky not to lose blood supply and have the bone die. The biggest tragedy is having to go on-stage in flats.
‘I can’t move too much in case I wrench my ankle, so I jig about from the hips up. I never drink before a show but, because my ankle is weak, I’ll suddenly totter off to the right and I’m sure the audience is thinking “Hello?!” ’
as far as her condition is concerned, she says: ‘ as long as my thyroid behaves itself, I should be fine. I look after myself. at my age, you get more out of life if you’re sensible.’