Hypothyroidism – Symptoms, Causes & Treatment
Do you have days when you are unusually tired and sleepy? Have you put on weight, and the added kilos won’t go away no matter how much you try? These changes in your body’s metabolism could be signs of hypothyroidism, a condition that affects your thyroid gland.
This article will discuss the symptoms, causes, and treatment for hypothyroidism, as well as other hormonal conditions commonly associated with it.
First, let’s start with the basics!
What is the Thyroid Gland?
The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped organ located at the base of your neck. The gland makes two hormones that get released into the blood – thyroxine (T4), triiodothyronine (T3), and calcitonin.
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The release of these hormones is mediated with the help of Thyroid Stimulating Hormone released by the pituitary gland in the brain. If the thyroid gland cells are inactive, TSH levels continue to increase but don’t stimulate the release of T3 and T4. Correspondingly, if T3 and T4 are too high in the body, it sends a message to the pituitary gland to stop releasing TSH.
How Does the Thyroid Gland Help Our Body to Function?
Together the thyroid hormones (T3 and T4) help to
- Regulate body temperature
- Maintain a healthy metabolism
- Regulate hormones for periods (menstruation) in women
- Enable fertility
- Encourage your body to use energy efficiently
- Moderate your moods
Calcitonin regulates calcium and phosphate levels in the blood, which is responsible for building strong bones and boosting immunity.
What is Hypothyroidism?
Hypothyroidism affects up to 5% of the general population, but it’s also tricky to diagnose because the symptoms you present with may be due to many other diseases.
Hypothyroidism points toward an underactive thyroid, where the gland does not make enough thyroid hormones like T3, T4, and Calcitonin.
Sensing the decrease in T3 and T4, our body releases more TSH hormone to stimulate their release from the gland. So, in hypothyroidism, we often see high levels of TSH and low levels of T3 and T4.
What Are the Causes of Hypothyroidism?
Hypothyroidism causes include:
- Genetics
- Iodine deficiency
- Pregnancy
- Brain diseases that reduce the functioning of the pituitary gland, which controls the release of TSH
- Injury to the thyroid gland
- Effect of certain medications (chemotherapy, radiotherapy for cancer)
- Thyroiditis or inflammation of the thyroid gland.
Thyroid disorders are often triggered by autoimmune responses, which happen when the body’s immune system starts to attack its own cells. The antibodies that target the thyroid gland cells are called thyroid antibodies. They are measured using blood tests for Thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPO) and Thyroglobulin antibodies (Tg).
The most common type of inflammation that leads to hypothyroidism is Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, which is caused due to an autoimmune reaction. Patients with this condition have high TSH levels, low T3 and T4 levels, and are positive for Thyroid antibodies.
What Symptoms Will You Experience in Hypothyroidism?
Hypothyroidism symptoms may be vague and can often mimic other conditions. They may include:
- Changes in the menstrual cycle
- Constipation
- Depression
- Dry hair and hair loss
- Dry skin
- Elevated cholesterol
- Fatigue
- Greater sensitivity to cold
- Hoarse voice
- Joint pain, stiffness, and swelling
- Problems with memory
- Muscle aches and stiffness
- Muscle weakness
- Puffy face
- Slow heart rate
- Swelling of the thyroid gland (goiter)
- Unexplained weight gain or difficulty losing weight
How Can Hypothyroidism Be Treated?
Doctors can diagnose hypothyroidism with a simple blood test that measures T3, T4, TSH, calcitonin, and the various thyroid antibodies.
Hypothyroidism treatment includes a daily dose of the thyroid hormone levothyroxine, which restores your normal hormone levels, making you feel better soon after you start the treatment. While you may have to take this medication all your life, the dosage may change depending on your TSH levels.
It’s also important to ensure that you have your thyroid medication on an empty stomach, at least 30 to 60 minutes before breakfast or at least 3 to 4 hours after dinner, so that food and drinks don’t interfere with its absorption.
Certain foods, like cabbage, broccoli, and soy products, contain goitrogens, which interfere with thyroid hormone production, so people with hypothyroidism should eat these foods in moderation.
Limiting your intake of ultra-processed foods while maintaining healthy amounts of zinc, selenium, iron, vitamin B, and D in your diet is also good for balancing your hormones.
Along with a healthy, balanced diet, an active lifestyle can also help regulate your hormone levels to feel better, boost your weight loss efforts and counteract the effects of hypothyroidism.
Choose an exercise program you are motivated to do because consistency wins half the battle in metabolic conditions like hypothyroidism. A balance between strength training and cardio-based exercises generally shows good results.
What Are the Complications of Hypothyroidism?
Hypothyroidism complications can seriously affect your health and quality of life if it’s not treated on time. A few conditions also associated with hypothyroidism are:
- Goiter is an enlarged thyroid gland that occurs when persistently high levels of TSH cause the gland to become larger. This may lead to difficulty in swallowing or breathing and can lead to a hoarse voice.
- Heart problems may occur because of high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol — the “bad” cholesterol.
- Mental health issues like depression are common.
- Peripheral neuropathy is where your nerves are damaged, causing pain, numbness, and tingling in affected areas.
- Infertility. Low levels of thyroid hormone can interfere with ovulation, which impairs fertility.
- Obesity may occur with sudden, uncontrolled weight gain. It’s hard to lose weight with hypothyroidism because when your thyroid gland is underactive, your metabolism slows down.
Do People With Hypothyroidism Also Tend to Have Diabetes?
Hypothyroidism and type 2 diabetes are two of the most frequent chronic hormonal disorders. It’s not just a coincidence that hypothyroidism occurs in 6% to 20% of people with diabetes.
What is the Link Between Hypothyroidism and Diabetes?
Type 2 diabetes usually occurs due to an unhealthy lifestyle. It starts with Insulin resistance, where the cells in your body tissues (like the muscles and liver) cannot use insulin to absorb glucose from your blood.
This causes high blood sugar levels, leading to complications like heart disease, obesity, and kidney and eye conditions. According to the World Health Organization, the prevalence of DM is expected to increase to 592 million by 2035.
Hypothyroidism occurs due to lower levels of active thyroid hormones like T3 and T4 and higher levels of TSH. TSH reduces insulin secretion from the pancreas.
Without insulin, the body’s blood sugar is not utilized properly, and your sugar levels begin to rise. That is why many patients with hypothyroidism also have diabetes.
What Other Hormone Disorders Are Associated With Hypothyroidism?
Approximately 1 in 8 women will be affected by a thyroid condition at some point. The risk for women is about 10 times higher than for men. One of the reasons for the prevalence of thyroid disorders in women is that there is an overlap between the functioning of thyroid hormones and the female sex hormones that fluctuate during the menstrual cycle.
Thyroid problems can happen anytime, but they are especially common in women during and after menopause or adolescence, before the start of menstruation, and when hormone levels change.
When patients consult their doctors about missed or absent periods accompanied by weight gain, abnormal hair growth, or loss, they will generally consider two diseases associated with hormonal irregularities: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and hypothyroidism.
In PCOS, the follicles cannot grow and mature properly due to high male hormones like androgen and testosterone levels. Hypothyroidism leads to hormone changes and can also prevent mature eggs’ release from the ovary follicles. Both can cause disruptions in your period cycles and affect your fertility.
If you feel overwhelmed with PCOS symptoms and need support to help you lose weight, Fitterfly’s Reset23 weight loss program is just the right solution.
Conclusion
It can be extremely frustrating when you’re fighting a constant uphill battle against your hormones! But you don’t have to do it all by yourself. Reach out to Fitterfly to help support you in your fight against hormone imbalance and metabolic disease.
Check out our programs on www.Fitterfly.com or call on 022 4897 1077 for details.
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