➡️Feeling tired / Fatigue – individuals feel unrested, even though they may be sleeping more.

➡️Unexplained Weight gain – this results from a reduced basal metabolic rate i.e. the amount of energy (calories) used at rest for normal bodily functions to occur. This can occur even if the number of calories remained constant. If you seem to be gaining weight or experiencing difficult weight loss in spite of a healthy diet and regular exercise consider having a full thyroid panel done.

➡️Hair Loss – like most cells, hair follicles are regulated by thyroid hormone. Hair follicles have stem cells that have a short lifespan and rapid turnover, they are more sensitive to low thyroid levels than other tissues. Low thyroid hormones causes hair follicles to stop regenerating resulting in hair loss. This typically resolves once thyroid function has normalised with treatment. If you are experiencing changes in the rate or pattern of your hair loss, particularly if your hair becomes patchy or coarse.

➡️Itchy and Dry Skin – like hair follicles, skin cells are characterized by rapid turnover. Therefore they are also sensitive to losing growth signals from the thyroid hormone. When the normal cycle of skin renewal is broken, skin may take longer to regrow. This means the outer layer of skin has been around longer, accumulating damage. It also means that dead skin may take longer to shed, leading to flaky, dry skin.

➡️Heavy/ Irregular Menses & Infertility –thyroid hormones directly affects the ovaries and uterus. Hypothyroidism has been associated with altered ovarian function, menstrual irregularities, subfertility, and higher (recurrent) miscarriage rates. Thyroid hormone receptors (TRs) are present on the surface of ovaries and act on ovarian follicles.

➡️Feeling cold – heat is a by-product of burning calories; even when you’re at rest you’re burning a small amount of calories. However, in the case of Hypo, your basal metabolic rate decreases, therefore decreasing the amount of heat you generate. If you’ve always wanted the room warmer than other people you live or work with, this may be an indication to get your thyroid function checked.

➡️Aching joints and/or Muscular weakness – low thyroid hormone flips the metabolic switch of proteins toward catabolism, which is when the body breaks down body tissues like muscle for energy. During catabolism, muscle strength decreases, potentially leading to feelings of weakness. The process of breaking down muscle tissue can also lead to aching.

➡️Feeling down or depressed – it is unclear the direct link with hypothyroidism that this occurs but it might be a mental symptom of an overall decrease in energy and health.

➡️Elevated Cholesterol  – that does not respond to diet, exercise or even medication can be a sign of hypothyroidism. Many health care professionals aim to lower cholesterol, but in my experience, that is only focusing on a symptom, rather than treating the root cause.

➡️Constipation – if you are dependent on fibre supplements, stool softeners or laxatives you should speak with your doctor about thyroid testing.

➡️Difficulty swallowing or changes in neck size – feeling like your neck is swollen or difficulty swallowing may be due to an enlarged thyroid gland.

Article written by Dr Tharushka Naidoo