With World Thyroid Day just around the corner, there's a call for women to get clued up about their thyroid health as they're a whopping six times more likely to suffer from thyroid issues than men.
The thyroid glad might be small, but important, pumping out hormones that keep our metabolism ticking over. But when this little gland doesn't pump out enough thyroid hormones, it can lead to hypothyroidism an underactive thyroid. A condition that can lurk undiagnosed for an average of four and a half years.
That's years of battling unexplained fatigue, piling on pounds, or feeling down in the dumps, with many mistaking these woes for depression or menopause symptoms. A staggering nearly three million women are grappling with thyroid troubles, and Dr Dave Nichols, an NHS GP and MyHealthChecked's go-to doc, is sounding the alarm for ladies to spot the difference between hypothyroidism and other lookalike conditions, like the menopause.
Ladies, getting the lowdown on your thyroid is a breeze with a nifty test (retailing for £9.99 online or at your local Boots), which can suss out your thyroid hormone levels in a swift ten minutes. Dr Nichols is dishing out the lowdown on classic underactive thyroid signs and offering his top tips on what to do if your body's skimping on TSH (Thyroid-stimulating hormone), reports Bristol Live.
Dr Nichols warns: "An underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) often develops slowly so you may gradually develop symptoms and not notice for months or even years.
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"Hypothyroidism can present in many different ways, with the most common symptoms of hypothyroidism including tiredness, weight gain, being sensitive to the cold, dry skin and hair or muscle aches. Feeling low in mood (depression) is a lesser-known symptom that some people don't expect."
The broad spectrum and non-specific nature of these symptoms often lead to them being misread. Hypothyroidism can strike at any age but tends to be more prevalent in women who are going through or have gone through menopause, leading to potential confusion between the symptoms of menopause and those of an underactive thyroid.
Dr Nichols explained: "Whilst hypothyroidism can occur at any time, it is more common in postmenopausal women when hormone levels are changing. There is lots of overlap in how hypothyroidism and the menopause present. Common symptoms such as tiredness, weight gain, constipation, dry skin/hair, muscle aches and low mood are commonly seen in both conditions.
"Around the menopause women notice a change in their periods which can also be associated with hypothyroidism. Whilst the menopause remains a clinical diagnosis, healthcare providers will often order some routine bloods which will include a thyroid profile to ensure an underactive thyroid is not causing any of the patient's symptoms."
Moreover, this symptom overlap could mean that women being treated for conditions like menopause or depression might not realise they have low thyroid levels. However, there are straightforward solutions for those wanting to quickly and easily understand their thyroid health.
Dr Nichols explained: "Symptoms such as tiredness or low mood are often considered vague as they are present in a plethora of different medical conditions. It is therefore possible that people with an underactive thyroid may be on treatment for conditions such as the menopause or depression unaware that their thyroid levels are low.
"Rapid tests are a simple way to assess whether a person's TSH level is high, which may be the first indicator that a person has an underactive thyroid, a condition known as hypothyroidism. Anyone who has a positive reading, or who has concerns they may have a problem with their thyroid should then proceed to have a thyroid function blood test which assesses this in more detail."
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