Thyroid Disease in Women
Thyroid disease affects approximately 27 million people in the United States. More women than men are commonly found to suffer from thyroid symptoms. It is estimated that 4 out of 100 women have some type of autoimmune thyroid disease.
If the thyroid is not producing enough hormones it is referred to as Hypothyroidism. This occurs when the two primary thyroid hormones thyroxine or T4 and triiodothyronine or T3 are not produced efficiently. The liver is the responsible organ for transforming thyroxine into its active form triiodothyronine.
As women have a higher incidence of thyroid problems than men, hypothyroidism is the main diagnosis, resulting in fatigue, weight gain, depression, high cholesterol and other symptoms. By contrast, a smaller number of women develop hyperthyroidism, or an overproduction of thyroid hormone in the blood.
Thyroid disease symptoms:
Hyperthyroidism:
Feeling warm Increased perspiration Weakness and fatigue Trembling hands Rapid heartbeat Weight loss Diarrhea Irritability / anxiety Eye discomfort Menstrual changes Inability to conceive
Hypothyroidism:
Fatigue Depression Sluggishness Feeling cold Weight gain of 5″10 pounds Dry hair and skin Constipation Menstrual changes
Hormone Imbalance and Menopause:
It is estimated that 20% of women in their 30’s and 40’s have a thyroid affliction. However, many go undiagnosed. Hypothyroidism is the most common as women who are perimenopausal are generally diagnosed with it. Perimenopause is the 15 year time period before menopause. This can occur in women in their late 40’s, especially those whose mother’s experienced early menopause.
What are the causes of Hypothyroidism?
Physical and emotional stresses as well as hormonal imbalance can cause thyroid dysfunction. Pregnancy, Perimenopause and menopause are the most common culprits in women as they create fluctuations in hormone levels. Hypothyroidism is caused by an imbalance of estrogen and progesterone. When the estrogen levels are higher than the progesterone, the thyroid to produce less hormone. Luckily, this can be rectified with a prescription of progesterone to bring things back into balance and alleviate the symptoms of hypothyroidism.
Additional causes include adrenal fatigue and insulin resistance. The adrenal glands are located just above the kidneys where they release adrenaline in response to the flight or fight reaction. These responses are stress related, if they persist for too long, they can cause the adrenal gland to become fatigued. Once this occurs, the thyroid can not function properly, thus resulting in hypothyroidism.
Poor nutrition is the usual culprit for insulin resistance. This reaction causes the thyroid to be underactive. Women who have been diagnosed with hypoactive thyroid should be tested or insulin resistance.
Stress management, good nutrition and hormonal balance are required to keep the thyroid working correctly. All these factors work together to keep the body running on all cylinders.
Oftentimes, symptoms of a thyroid problem can be mistaken for another disease, thus delaying you much needed treatment. A physician can perform a blood test to discover if the thyroid is indeed the problem or some other underlying or more serious problem is the cause. If in fact you do have a thyroid problem, you will begin to feel much better after a few weeks of proper treatment.
A licensed registered nurse with great passion for writing, Barb Hicks loves to share her knowledge about Thyroid Disease Medication with others. She provides more of her lessons including Thyroid Eating Plan on Clivir.com.
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