Symptoms of Low Thyroid Hormone

So, first of all what is hypothyroidism? It’s when your thyroid gland has a low production of it’s hormones. The thyroid is located right by your Adam’s apple and functions as part of the endocrine system and it’s hormones control your metabolism.

When for whatever reason your thyroid isn’t producing enough of these hormones, you begin to get symptoms such as weight gain and a lack of energy due to the slowed metabolism.

This in turn causes many other problems in the body, one the most common being menstrual abnormalities in women. The big problem with hypothyroidism however is that the health problems it causes are often misdiagnosed as being something else.

The first symptoms are usually chronic fatigue, pain in muscles and joints, weight gain and sensitivity to cold. In women there may be changes heavy periods in their menstrual or other abnormalities. Constipation is often an early symptom also.

As the hypothyroidism progresses their may be problems such as dry or coarse hair and skin. Another symptom can be mental focus, memory problems and fogginess. Puffiness in the face, thinning or loss of eyebrows, and brittle nails can also occur.

Diagnosis

A doctor will usually test for thyroid hormone levels through a blood test. There is also an at home test that you can do by yourself with a thermometer however, and of course there are a few others that doctors can do.

When you are diagnosed with this condition you are usually given thyroid medication to replenish hormone levels. These drugs have their problems, but there are many safe options that you can be using as well.

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