Do you have an underactive thyroid?

According to the The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, about 4.6 percent of the U.S. population ages 12 and older has hypothyroidism. That means almost every 5 people out of 100!

What is hypothyroidism?

Hypothyroidism is diagnosed when the thyroid makes an insufficient amount of thyroid hormones. When this happens it can be reflected in your symptoms and your blood work.

Common Symptoms

• Fatigue

• Constipation

• Dry skin

• Dry hair

• Hair loss/thinning hair

• Infertility

• Weight gain/inability to lose weight

• Depression

• Cold intolerance

• Heavy/irregular periods

Understanding the Labs

When assessing thyroid function, I take into consideration the labs as well as the current symptoms. Below are the labs that I order to get a full understanding of thyroid function.

• TSH: the signal from the brain to the thyroid to make more thyroid hormone, specifically T4. If this number is increased, it can indicate that the thryoid is not making enough T4

• T4: this is the main thyroid hormone that is produced by the thyroid

• T3: this is the active thyroid hormones. T4 is converted to T3 in the peripheral tissues

• RT3: when stress is high, T3 is reconfigured to RT3. RT3 is not able to be used by the body.

• Anti-TPO: this is a marker of Hashimoto's Disease, which is autoimmune hypothyroidism.

If you suspect that you have hypothyroidism and want help managing your symptoms, book your free 15 minute consultation here.

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