Just wanted to pass along some further insight regarding the connection between PCOS and autoimmune thyroiditis. A link to the full article is listed below. But, I find this particular part so compelling:
Quote:
Women are known to have a 5- to 10- fold greater incidence of organ-specific autoimmune diseases than men. This raises the possibility that female hormones might play a pathogenic role in such disease. It's particularly intriguing that the incidence of autoimmune thyroiditis is known to be roughly twice as great during perimenopause--a time of low progesterone and substantial estrogen-as in the reproductive years. Low progesterone is also a hallmark of anovulatory women with PCOS.
These observations raise a testable hypothesis: Perhaps administration of progesterone or progesterone derivatives that specifically target immunocompetent cells might prevent autoimmune thyroiditis in women with PCOS, Dr. Gaertner said.
Article: PCOS link to Autoimmune Thyroiditis 
