Your thyroid is a miraculous gland. Located at the base of the front of your neck, it produces the hormones that are responsible not just for a sharp mind, but also for the svelte figure and cheerful outlook of our youth. Do you look around and see yourself or friends, family, and strangers your age getting bigger, balder, and more irritable? As we age, many people, especially women, develop low thyroid function, which is reflected in weight gain, hair loss, constipation, dry skin, high cholesterol, fatigue, allergies, breathing problems, impaired vision and hearing, sleeping disorders, dizziness, numbness, loss of libido, aches and pains, more frequent infections, and increasing incidence of mental and emotional problems such as depression, rage, anxiety, irritability, and even schizophrenia and bipolar disorder (De Groot, Hennemann, and Larsen 1984). Let’s face it, any of these symptoms would be enough to make us depressed and irritable. Sadly, even though no other hormone affects such a wide range of tissues and cells, our thyroid gets little attention until it seriously malfunctions and causes problems. And even then, most doctors overlook it in their search for clues about what is causing our symptoms.

When our levels of sex hormone start dropping, generally somewhere after age thirty-five, we can start to feel pretty wretched. The telltale signs of incipient aging start to appear: dry and thinning hair, weight gain, loosening skin and wrinkles, irritability…you name it. However, as bad as these symptoms may get, we can still live relatively normal lives even if we slow down and get various strange aches and pains. This is what loss of hormones such as estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and growth hormone—hormones that are at high levels in our youth—can do to us. But if our thyroid goes, things can really fall apart. Studies done as early as the 1800s showed that when animals’ thyroids were removed, they often died within a few days. In the name of science, ovaries, testicles, and various other endocrine glands have been removed from animals over the years, and the animals were able to carry on fairly well. But when French medical researcher Raynard got around to taking out a dog’s thyroid gland in 1835 and it promptly died, the medical world finally realized the significance of this tiny gland (Barker, Hoskins, and Mosenthal 1922). When surgeon and anatomist Astley Cooper removed the thyroids of several young pups in 1836, they fared somewhat better than their older counterparts, but he noted they suffered from “stupidity and malaise” (Vincent 1912, 287). Who among us with low thyroid function can’t relate to this?

The estimates are staggering: 25 percent of all women develop permanent hypothyroidism, with the greatest incidence occurring after age thirty-four (American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists 2007). Not coincidentally, the midthirties are also when perimenopause usually starts. At this time, we stop ovulating regularly and the resulting decrease in ovarian hormones (specifically estrogen and progesterone) greatly affects the thyroid’s ability to do its job. Adolescence and pregnancy are also times of tremendous hormonal flux and likewise are times when thyroid dysfunction is more likely. There is a close relationship between our ovarian function and our thyroid function. Unfortunately, because the symptoms of hypothyroidism are so similar to those of perimenopause and menopause, hypothyroidism is easily missed.

Although we are hearing more about the thyroid in the media recently (particularly since Oprah announced she has hypothyroidism), thyroid disease is not a new phenomenon. Worldwide estimates of the incidence of thyroid dysfunction have been high since the beginning of the twentieth century. In 1976, thyroid expert and researcher Dr. Broda Barnes estimated that 40 percent of people had hypothyroidism (Barnes and Galton 1976), and more recently, Belgian endocrinologist Dr. Jacques Hertoghe suggested the rate could be as high as 80 percent (Durrant-Peatfield 2002). There are many reasons for this prevalence of hypothyroidism: genetic inheritance, diet, our increasingly toxic environment, exposure to certain viruses, iodine deficiency, direct physical trauma to the thyroid, indirect trauma (such as whiplash), autoimmune diseases, thyroid antibodies, and even medical advancements that have allowed more people with hypothyroidism to survive infancy.

Should we all panic? Absolutely not! I, my husband, and all three of my children have thyroid problems and have managed to overcome them. There’s an easy solution to thyroid problems: Get your thyroid hormone levels tested, and have your children tested if they exhibit any signs of thyroid disease.  With your doctor, review your symptoms and test results carefully, then simply take supplemental thyroid hormones if your levels are low. It’s one of the easiest hormone deficiencies to correct.

Still, it’s frightening that this common and easily treated disease, which can affect almost every aspect of your health, is frequently misunderstood, misdiagnosed, and overlooked. If you’re one of the millions of women who intuitively suspect that something is wrong with your thyroid function, now is the time to do something about it. You may already have asked your doctor several times if your thyroid could be at the root of your health problems. Stop wondering. Take charge of your health and find out for sure if your thyroid is the culprit. Few doctors (other than endocrinologists, who specialize in hormones) receive medical training in diagnosing and treating thyroid problems. The unfortunate result is that when you ask your general practitioner or ob-gyn (or whatever doctor you count on for medical advice) about your thyroid health, you’re likely to be brushed off with statements such as “Women always think their thyroid is responsible for their weight gain, but this is just an excuse; you just need to change your diet and start exercising” or “Fatigue has nothing to do with your thyroid; you’re working too hard” or “You have young children; it’s to be expected that you’re tired.” Meanwhile, the look in their eyes sadly conveys that they suspect you’re a hopeless hypochondriac. Some doctors are willing to test thyroid function, but even these may stop short of doing all the tests necessary to give a full picture of how your thyroid is functioning.  Plus, many doctors may not understand how to interpret these test results.  But this is exactly what’s needed if you’re to get to the bottom of what’s going on once and for all.

from The Women's Guide to Thyroid Health: Understanding Symptoms of Hypothyroidism.