Saturday, March 12, 2011

The Thyroid Can Cause A Person Problems






There is an important gland that functions in our bodies. Many people are unaware of how it can affect them. If it is not working people might not know it either. It is important for a person to understand the things that the thyroid does. It is also important to understand how what can happen when the thyroid is not working in the way it should.
How come a person’s thyroid stops working right is not important as it will have similar effects for all. People should take the symptoms seriously and check with their physician if they notice any of them. There are many causes of an under active thyroid hormone. They include such things as radiation treatment for cancer, complete or partial thyroid gland removal, an inherited condition, a non-functioning pituitary gland, pregnancy or recent delivery of a baby, or an immune disease that affects the thyroid and a person can suffer from a variety of symptoms of low thyroid condition which can alert them to a potential problem.
The metabolic rate of a person is determined by how many of the essential hormones the thyroid releases. People with an under active thyroid will not release chemicals in sufficient quanties. The metabolic rate of a person will not be able to keep up with the demands of the body and a person will suffer. The low metabolism is just the start of the issues a person will face. The different systems will try to compensate for the changes. This is something that is usually detectable with a blood test.
When your body does not make enough thyroid hormones it can cause a number of symptoms and it is important to know that there are no minimum number of symptoms needed for a diagnosis and there are different under active thyroid symptoms in women and men so but in general a person may just feel sluggish and fatigued, and then later they may start to notice other symptoms such as hair loss, sensitivity to cold, dry skin, brittle nails, memory problems, trouble concentrating, constipation, depression, mood swings, unexplained weight gain or hoarseness. You can also develop a goiter.
It is possible that the under active thyroid will cause a person to lose a baby that they are carrying. First trimester is the most dangerous time for a woman. If you know your levels are low, notify your obstetrician and the physician who is treating you for the hypothyroid condition. Your TSH level can rise quickly in the first few months of pregnancy due to the increased production of estrogen, increasing the risk of miscarriage. Monitoring the problem should be a high priority. Most health professionals monitor the levels of the hormones several times throughout the pregnancy. Untreated, low thyroid also can cause premature labor and fetal abnormalities.
It is never a good thing to brush the symptoms of an under active thyroid under the table. A physician is the only place for a person to understand the problem for sure. One of the main symptoms of an under active thyroid will show up in changes on the scale. Do not chalk it up to just eating the wrong things. Your hormone levels could be out of balance. Knowing why is much more important. Once a person knows the cause they should not worry too much. A doctor can come up with a regimen that works. It just takes a combination of medication, diet and exercise.