An under active thyroid gland is one in which the gland produces an insufficient amount of thyroid hormone. Women are affected much more commonly than men. The thyroid hormone is intended to control the metabolism of the body and women, in particular, with an under active thyroid gland or “hypothyroidism” often wonder about the effect of under active thyroid glands on women’s health. The condition occurs in about 10 percent of American women. Many women have hypothyroidism and don’t know it.
There are a couple of common causes of under active thyroid gland. The first is caused by inflammation of the thyroid gland which damages the thyroid cells and makes them unable to produce enough thyroid hormone. Autoimmune thyroiditis is one of these conditions. The other main cause of under active thyroid gland involves removal of the thyroid such as when a nodule or cancer is found. The thyroid is removed, leaving little sources for thyroid hormone. Radioactive iodine treatment to the thyroid can also destroy healthy thyroid tissue. Radioactive iodine treatment is used to slow the progress of an overactive thyroid or to treat a thyroid goiter.
There are many symptoms of an under active thyroid gland in women. Some of them include fatigue, weight gain, weakness, hair loss, rough, dry skin, cold intolerance, constipation, muscle aches and cramps, depression, irritability, poor libido, abnormal menstrual cycles or memory loss. Every patient has a different cluster of symptoms depending on how severe the deficiency is and how long the deficiency has occurred. Most patients will have varying combinations of symptoms. Thus the effect of under active thyroid glands on women’s health, vary from one one to another.
The treatment of an under active thyroid gland can be very simple and can involve replacement of the missing hormone through a prescription given by a doctor. However, one of the drawbacks of this is that the taking of hormone replacement is generally something that is taken for the rest of one’s life.
Another option is to take natural remedies which promote healthy thyroid function. These remedies have been around for thousands of years and not only support the thyroid function but the endocrine function as well. In recent years, researchers have found that some traditional remedies demonstrate “the ability of a range of herbs to support the endocrine system and thyroid health”. These remedies have been shown to be able to restore the thyroid back to normal function.
If you suffer from under active thyroid glands, then it’s important to investigate these natural remedies, as there can be potential dangers to having an under active thyroid gland. If left untreated, symptoms of hypothyroidism can progress and a woman can get a goiter or enlarged thyroid gland as a result of failure to treat the condition. If further untreated, there can be life threatening depression, followed by heart failure and perhaps coma.
Under active thyroid gland symptoms can be diagnosed as hypothyroidism through the use of a simple blood test that measures the body TSH, T4 (thyroxin) and T3 (triiodothyronine). Often the TSH is elevated with lowering of the T4 and T3. In rare cases, all three values are diminished. TSH is a hormone made by the pituitary gland that “turns on” thyroid production of T4 and T3.
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