One in every twenty women over forty suffers hypothyroidism; one in every twelve women over fifty struggles against the consequences of her thyroid gland’s failure to produce enough thyroxin, the body’s metabolism regulating hormone. Five times more women than men endure constant fatigue and unexplained weight gain from thyroid problems, and many exacerbate their conditions with abuse of energy drinks and amphetamines.
Despite the statistics, however, women’s hypothyroidism numbers among the most frequently undiagnosed and untreated clinical disorders in women forty years of age and older. Even mild hypothyroidism, called “subclinical thyroid imbalance,” can trigger extreme, frightening and frustrating, symptoms. Aracelli O’Neill, a Certified Nurse Practitioner who specializes in obstetrics and gynecology, strongly recommends, “As they turn forty, women should make thyroid testing a regular, required element of annual physical exams. Doctors often neglect the tests, and women suffer needlessly as a result. The test poses no risk, and it assures protection against a host of health problems.”
Leading signs of hypothyroidism:
O’Neill explains, “The symptoms of hypothyroidism are the same as symptoms for menopause, chronic fatigue, and depression; they especially mimic the signs of clinical depression, and physicians frequently make the mistake of prescribing anti depressants to women with hypothyroidism, putting the women at risk of even deeper depression or suicide. Women must demand their doctors administer the simple test for thyroid disorders.” O’Neill also advises women should look at a “constellation” of symptoms, which, taken altogether, inevitably signal hypothyroidism:
1.Unaccountable weight gain—Every woman gains a few pounds as she grows older, but if your body mass index suddenly falls outside the normal range even when your eating and exercise habits have not changed, the gain may indicate thyroid problems.
2.Constant fatigue—If you barely can keep yourself awake and moving through the middle of the day, but nothing in your life circumstances substantially has changed, ask your doctor to administer the simple hormone test that determines whether or not your thyroid gland is functioning properly.
3.Persistent body aches—If you always feel as though a bus just ran over you and then a baseball team beat you with bats and stomped you with cleats, and if the constant aches and pains persist even when you have not exercised aggressively or over worked your muscles, demand a thyroid test. The combination of aches and fatigue very likely result from an under active thyroid.
4.Depression—Sadness, despair, hopelessness, and feelings of worthlessness do not come automatically with advancing age. If you feel constantly sad and you lose interest in many of your favorite things, speak with your physician who will administer a variety of diagnostic tests. Make sure the tests include a thyroid evaluation.
5.Excessive hair loss—Excessive hair loss, more than any other sign, almost always points to hypothyroidism. Although women experience hair loss and balding almost as frequently as men, because the balance of androgens and estrogens changes as they age, nevertheless losing more than five or six hairs each time you comb or brush suggests a thyroid problem.
Simple testing. Simple solution.
Physicians and nurse practitioners administer one simple, non invasive test to determine whether or not a woman suffers hypothyroidism. They give a dose of thyroid stimulating synthetic hormone and measure the gland’s subsequent production of thyroxin, the hormone that regulates the body’s use of energy. If a woman’s thyroid fails to produce enough thyroxin, healthcare professionals prescribe medication that typically relieves hypothyroidism symptoms within a week to ten days.
Author Resource:
At http://hypothyroidismdiet.net/ you can learn more about hypothyroidism and its causes, cures, symptoms and what is the optimal hypothyroidism diet.
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