Hypothyroid symptoms are more common among women than men. This is largely due to estrogen’s role in suppressing thyroid function and women naturally have far more estrogen than men.  Because of this, the hypothyroid symptoms in women tend to be more correlated with hormonal cycles.

Hypothyroid symptoms in women are especially noticeable during adolescence, pregnancy, menopause, and peri-menopause. This is because these are the typical times when estrogen and progesterone levels are changing within a woman’s body. In fact, women who have a history of female hormone imbalance or menstrual issues almost always develop hypothyroidism at some point in life.

Unfortunately, many hypothyroid symptoms in women go undetected or misdiagnosed. The tests for thyroid hormones are not always accurate; thus leading many women who are suffering from low thyroid function to suffer a great deal as their health and sense of well-being decline steadily. This can be a frustrating and fearful experience.

As the years pass, these women will find themselves taking a long list of medications and prescriptions for various ailments, when in reality; the answer is that they have been suffering all along from one or more of the common hypothyroid symptoms in women.  The fact is, hypothyroid symptoms in women can be quite severe and sometimes life changing if not addressed.

It is therefore, crucial that women pay close attention to their bodies and especially their thyroid function and follow the right hypothyroidism treatment plan when necessary.  The best way to determine if you have a low thyroid is to determine if you are suffering from hypothyroid symptoms:

Let’s take a look at some of the more common symptoms:

Early Stage Hypothyroid Symptoms in Women

• Unexplained fatigue
• Oversensitivity to cold
• Muscle aches
• Joint aches
• Weight gain
• Constipation
• Heavy menstrual cycles
• Rough, dry skin
• Hair that becomes coarse
• Mental or emotional problems
• Depression

Most of these hypothyroid symptoms in women will simply go unnoticed because they are so common.  It’s natural to consider them as separate problems altogether. However, if you find you are experiencing one or more of these, it might be a good idea to take a closer look at your body and how it’s functioning to determine if in fact, you are hypothyroid.

If these early hypothyroid symptoms in women remain untreated, the condition will naturally progress.  This is especially true for depression, which, when caused by a low thyroid function, has a tendency to lead to a major depressive state.

Other hypothyroid symptoms in women include physical changes that are not only uncomfortable, but sometimes embarrassing. Let’s take a look at some of the hypothyroid symptoms in women that are the result of not being treated properly for the condition.

Later Stage Hypothyroid Symptoms in Women

• Face develops a round, puffy appearance
• Eyes always look tired
• Dry, rough skin that doesn’t respond to treatment
• Hair loss
• Intense muscle pain
• Increased weakness
• Mental confusion
• Memory problems
• Daytime sleepiness

Other Common Hypothyroid Symptoms in Women

Weight gain is one of the most noticeable hypothyroid symptoms in women.  Not only is low thyroid function responsible, but the additional lack of motivation due to fatigue and other symptoms only complicates things even further.

This added weight is because women with an underactive thyroid or hypothyroidism have a tendency to have a low resting, or basal, rate of metabolism. Unfortunately decreasing calories is not the solution to lose weight because you can only cut so many calories before you no longer get the necessary nutrients for your body to function and be healthy. Instead, it’s imperative to correct your thyroid function to increase or restore your metabolism. In other words, as long as you are hypothyroid, cutting calories is not going to help you lose weight.

This is why so many women get frustrated when they are trying to lose weight and nothing seems to work. Often, it isn’t that you have been overeating or lack exercise. It’s simply because you are hypothyroid.

Women suffering from hypothyroidism often spend most of their time dieting to no avail. Often they fall into the cycle of “yoyo” dieting which consists of starving and fasting, then binging and overeating.  Not only is this not good for your body, but it decreases your metabolic rate further, leaving you further in a state of hypothyroidism and making you more susceptible to other common hypothyroid symptom in women. It’s important to follow the right hypothyroidism diet to improve your thyroid function and boost your metabolism in a healthy way for weight loss.

Because of blood sugar issues associated with poor dietary habits as well as other forms of excessive stress, your stress hormones become affected as well. Your body will overproduce cortisol in an attempt to compensate and raise your blood sugar because your liver is unable to do its job. This results in sweet cravings, which if not balanced properly, leads to further weight gain.

You can see how having a problem with your thyroid can literally put your on a merry-go-round of symptoms that absolutely must be addressed.

If you find that you have any of the hypothyroid symptoms in women that are covered here, consider that the real problem may be that you’re unknowingly suffering from hypothyroidism. Even if you’ve tested negative for hypothyroidism, remember that current thyroid testing is very insufficient and more often than not leads to false negatives.

Low thyroid symptoms can be quite frustrating. They range from making you tired, to making you feel like you’re going to blow your top, for little or no reason at all.  Usually thyroid symptoms include gaining weight, lots of aches and pains, and even fuzzy thinking. Sound familiar?  If you have been suffering from one or more of these, chances are you’re dealing with low thyroid symptoms.

This condition however, is much more complicated than just a few simple symptoms. And, in some cases, especially women, suffer from several low thyroid symptoms at the same time.

Unfortunately, suffering from hypothyroidism, which is not usually thought of as serious, can wreak havoc with your everyday life because the symptoms are so numerous and range from simple to very complicated.

There is no easy solution to determine if your health issues are really just low thyroid symptoms or are related to some other disorder. Unfortunately, the thyroid tests that are currently available are not always accurate which is making it more increasingly difficult to get an accurate diagnosis.

In fact, because of poor test ranges, tests have been known to give a false negative reading, which means there are lots of people out there suffering from low thyroid symptoms, but who are misdiagnosed because their hormone level test came back normal.

If, by chance you have had a thyroid test that indicated your thyroid was fine, but you are still dealing with any of the various low thyroid symptoms, then it’s a good idea to take into consideration the one tried and true method for determining if you have hypothyroidism.

By simply taking your basal temperature upon waking  in the morning you can get an accurate indication of whether or not your thyroid is working up to par. Most people have very low body temperature upon waking which is a tell tale sign that a good hypothyroidism treatment program is the best thing that you can do for your health.

Similarities to Menopause

Keep in mind that although anyone can have hypothyroidism, it is more prevalent in women, especially those over the age of 30.  This often creates more confusion because it is at this time of life that women go through menopause. Many of the menopausal symptoms experienced by women are almost always caused or worsened by underling hypothyroidism, whether it has been diagnosed or not.

Similar to those patients who were misdiagnosed because their thyroid test came back normal, women that are in the age group for menopause or pre-menopause are often told they are suffering from menopause symptoms, when in reality, they are dealing with low thyroid symptoms.

There are also many thyroid symptoms in men that need to be addressed as well.

Recent studies have indicated that because hypothyroidism is being misdiagnosed, it is estimated that there are many people suffering from hypothyroidism who are not being treated properly. The best way to deal with the condition, especially if your test results have come back normal but you continue to suffer from any symptoms, is to keep track of the symptoms. If, as you begin to treat yourself for hypothyroidism and begin eating the right hypothyroidism diet, if your symptoms begin to disappear, then it’s quite likely you really have been suffering from low thyroid symptoms.

Remember that you thyroid gland determines the rate and speed of metabolism in your body. Metabolism is the chemical and metabolic development in the body making a healthy thyroid necessary for good health, proper growth and timely development.

Thyroid Hormones are responsible for:           

• Agility
• Appetite
• Balance of fluids in the body
• Blood circulation
• Blood sugar levels
• Body temperature
• Bone development
• Bowels
• Cardiac strength
• Central nervous system function
• Cholesterol or blood fat levels
• Energy
• Growth
• Muscle tone
• Regulation of cellular carbohydrate and protein metabolism
• Regulation of fats

To say the least, just about every system in the human body is somewhat dependent on the thyroid to produce the proper amount of hormones that the body needs in order to survive. When the thyroid levels are too low, the body begins to experience low thyroid symptoms.

General Low Thyroid Symptoms

• Fatigue
• Insomnia
• Unexplained weight gain
• Inability to lose weight
• Feeling cold all the time
• Slow reflexes
• Severe PMS
• Thick, dry skin
• Slow weak pulse
• Chronic constipation
• High cholesterol
• Pain in the neck
• A lump or knot that is noticeable in the neck
• A gravelly voice
• Hoarseness
• History of miscarriage
• A feeling of numbness
• Swelling of face
• Swollen feet
• Hair loss

Believe it or not, these are just the tip of the iceberg.

Consider the following list of possible red flags that may indicate low thyroid symptoms

• Do you feel tired most of the time?
• Is your menstrual cycle heavier than it used to be?
• Have you stopped working out or doing exercise because it’s just too tiring?
• Does your body seem to just naturally seek its own healthy weight when you eat healthy and exercise on a regular basis?  If not, you might have a thyroid disorder.
• Do you often feel like you need a nap in the afternoon? If this is true, especially on the weekends when you don’t have to work, then you need to consider the health of your thyroid.
• Has your cholesterol tested high in spite of efforts (including medication) to lower it?
• Do you ever feel like you have a puffy face?

If the condition is not treated, the low thyroid symptoms can, and will, over time become more severe. Other, more severe symptoms include, decreased breathing, decreased body temperature, and low blood pressure. In some cases, these low thyroid symptoms can become quite serious. This is why it is best to determine if you have a thyroid condition early on, before the more difficult-to-treat symptoms begin to appear.

Along with the physical low thyroid symptoms, hypothyroidism can also cause symptoms that have to do with mental health. In fact, many patients who are being treated for depression are really suffering from hypothyroidism.

Let’s take a look at some of these low thyroid symptoms:

• Depression
• Mood Swings
• Bipolar diagnosis
• Fuzzy thinking
• Inability to concentrate
• Poor memory

If you discover you have been dealing with one or more of these mental health issues, it would be a good idea to consider that they are related to low thyroid symptoms.

Good thyroid health is essential in today’s world.  You just can’t afford risk your thyroid health by determining if you have any low thyroid symptoms. Once the issues to your thyroid are addressed, it is quite possible that many of the symptoms you’ve been suffering from will be alleviated.