Fatigue, Weight Gain, and Hair Loss? — These Could Point to a Thyroid Issue

There are more than 50 hormones in your body that oversee everything from reproduction to your metabolism. So when a group of hormones is out of balance, the effects are hard not to notice, which is very much the case with your thyroid hormones.

If you’re experiencing symptoms, such as hair loss, weight gain for no reason, a lack of energy, and other seemingly unconnected changes in your health, it might be time to explore whether a low thyroid hormone count is to blame. 

Also called hypothyroidism, which affects 5% of Americans aged 12 and older, here’s a look at what the skilled team of medical providers here at Michigan Avenue Primary Care wants you to know about this thyroid disease.

Understanding thyroid hormones

A great place to start this discussion is with a brief review of what your thyroid hormones oversee in your body. There are two types of thyroid hormones — thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) — and these hormones are produced in the thyroid gland in your neck to regulate:

• Metabolism and energy — how your body metabolizes and uses energy
• Body temperature
• Heart rate
• Fetal and brain development
• Muscle contraction
• Skin and bone cell turnover

As you can see, your thyroid hormones are involved in a lot of areas of your health, which explains why thyroid disease can lead to so many different symptoms, which we’ll get into in a minute.

Hypothyroidism — too few thyroid hormones

Thyroid disease, in general, affects far more women than men — women are 5-8 times more likely to develop thyroid disease, and this is true of hypothyroidism.

When it comes to causes, hypothyroidism can develop due to:

• Hashimoto’s disease — an autoimmune disorder in which your body attacks cells in your thyroid gland
• Thyroiditis — inflammation in the gland
• Congenital hypothyroidism
• Previous radiation to your thyroid
• Thyroid surgery 

Of this list, Hashimoto’s disease is the most common, which tends to develop more in women between the ages of 30 and 50.

Side effects of hypothyroidism

The symptoms that we list in the title of this blog are the hallmarks of hypothyroidism, but there are many more. The complete list includes:

• Weight gain
• Hair loss, which includes more brittle hair
• Fatigue
• Brittle fingernails
• Cold intolerance
• Joint and muscle pain
• Irregular periods in women
• Depression
• Low heart rate

As you can see by this list, the side effects of hypothyroidism are all serious quality-of-life issues.

Do you have hypothyroidism?

Checking off the symptom list we presented above is the first step toward figuring out whether you’re affected by hypothyroidism, but the next step is the most important. 

To determine whether you have hypothyroidism, simply come in to see us so that we can review your symptoms and order a thyroid blood test. The findings of this diagnostic testing can confirm or rule out hypothyroidism quite easily.

If we do find that you have hypothyroidism, the good news is that we can turn to hormone therapy to replenish your level of thyroid hormones and restore your health.

To set up your thyroid evaluation, please contact us at our clinic in Chicago, Illinois, in The Loop, to schedule an appointment today.