Women have greater chances of suffering from thyroid disorders than men do. There are two types of thyroid disorder from which women can suffer. The first one is hyperthyroidism. This means that your thyroid is overactive and producing too many thyroid hormones. The other condition is hypothyroidism. This is the opposite of hyperthyroidism in that your thyroid is underactive and does not produce enough thyroid hormones. Revive Medical Center lists the symptoms of both thyroid conditions below.
Hyperthyroidism Symptoms
As we said above, hyperthyroidism means that you have an overactive thyroid gland. The thyroid gland is located at the base of your throat. If it is overactive, you may find that you suffer from one or more of the following thyroid disorder symptoms:
- Anxiety, irritability, and/or nervousness
- Arrhythmia, which is an irregular heartbeat
- Brittle and fine hair
- Constant sweating
- Goiter, which is an enlarged thyroid gland
- Heart palpitations and pounding
- Increased bowel movements
- Increased heat sensitivity and intolerance
- Insomnia and difficulty sleeping
- Menstruation cycle changes
- Muscle weakness and fatigue
- Skin that has thinned out
- Tachycardia, which is a rapid heartbeat
- Trembling fingers and/or hands
- Unusual increase in appetite
- Weight loss despite normal eating habits
You may think that it’s great that you can’t put on weight no matter how much you eat, but hyperthyroidism can cause serious health problems that can be life-threatening. It’s important to have these symptoms checked out right away.
Hypothyroidism Symptoms
The opposite of hyperthyroidism is an underactive thyroid, and this is called hypothyroidism. This can be a frustrating condition for many women because they don’t feel well but they don’t understand why. Symptoms that you are suffering from hypothyroidism include
- Aching, stiff, and tender muscles
- Aching, stiff, and swollen joints
- Cold sensitivity and intolerance
- Constant fatigue
- Constant hoarseness to your voice
- Constipation/trouble with bowel movements
- Depression, feeling low and sad
- Excessively dry skin
- Goiter, which is an enlarged thyroid gland
- Hair thinning and loss
- Heavy menstruation
- High cholesterol levels
- Memory loss, impairment
- Muscle fatigue and weakness
- Puffy face that won’t go away
- Slower heartbeat
- Weight gain despite normal eating habits
As with hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism can cause serious health conditions that can be life-threatening. If you suffer from any of the symptoms listed above, it’s important to have bloodwork done as soon as possible to check your thyroid function for a thyroid disorder.
We can do that here at Revive Medical Center in Lawrenceville, GA, and if we find that your thyroid gland is not producing enough hormones, or if it is producing too many, we can get you on a treatment plan to restore your thyroid gland’s function back to normal.
