![\"Why](\"https:\/\/blueheronhealthnews.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Hypothyroidism-414670085.jpg\")
Hypothyroidism is more common in women than in men, and more common in aging women than in younger ones.<\/p>\nHypothyroidism is more common in women than in men, and more common in aging women than in younger ones.<\/p>\n
But a large Canadian study published in PLOS One<\/em> found that menopause doesn\u2019t increase your risk of developing thyroid problems.<\/p>\n It\u2019s something else.<\/p>\n Researchers noticed something interesting: thyroid failure strikes women three to seven times more often than men, and about 70% of hypothyroidism cases are diagnosed in women over 50. <\/p>\n Menopause usually occurs around age 51 and brings a dramatic drop in estrogen levels. <\/p>\n Estrogen affects how thyroid hormones travel through your blood.<\/p>\n So scientists wondered: how involved is menopause really in hypothyroidism? <\/p>\n They decided to test its influence by looking at the timing of menopause.<\/p>\n If the two are strongly related, then women who go through early menopause should develop hypothyroidism earlier than those with later menopause.<\/p>\n They followed a large group of Canadian women whose information was collected by the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging, which tracked women over a 10-year period.<\/p>\n First, they carefully selected participants. <\/p>\n They started with women who had gone through natural menopause (not surgical removal of ovaries) and had never been diagnosed with thyroid problems before menopause. <\/p>\n They excluded anyone whose menopause occurred before age 40 or after age 67 to focus on typical menopause timing.<\/p>\n Their final study group included 15,330 postmenopausal women. <\/p>\n The researchers divided them into four groups based on menopause age: 40\u201344, 45\u201349, 50\u201354, and 55 or older.<\/p>\n Then they tracked these women for up to 10 years, observing who developed hypothyroidism and when. <\/p>\n They also collected detailed information about each woman\u2019s lifestyle \u2014 including weight, education, smoking, alcohol use, exercise habits, and reproductive history.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what their investigation revealed:<\/p>\n 2. The average age at diagnosis was 60.<\/p>\n 3. Menopause timing showed absolutely no connection<\/strong> to thyroid problems. Whether women went through menopause early or late made no difference.<\/p>\n 4. Body weight told a very different story:<\/strong><\/p>\n ○ Women with a BMI of 30+ had a 40% higher risk.\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n Since this study shows that weight \u2014 not menopause timing \u2014 affects hypothyroidism risk, it\u2019s important to maintain a healthy weight through regular physical activity and balanced eating. <\/p>\n This is especially important after menopause, when lower estrogen slows metabolism, muscle mass declines, and most hypothyroidism cases are diagnosed.<\/p>\n But if you\u2019ve already been diagnosed with hypothyroidism, you need to take all-natural steps to reverse it as soon as possible. <\/p>\n\n
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\n○ Women with a BMI of 25\u201329 had a 20% higher risk of hypothyroidism.<\/p>\n