How do you know if you have thyroid problems?

Answer 1

These are the symptoms: fatigue, lethargy, constipation, weight gain, edema (water retention), headaches, decreased libido, depression, memory loss, and poor concentration, dry skin, thinning hair or loss of hair, hoarseness, feeling of lump in the throat, sensitivity to cold, insomnia, infertility, and severe menopausal symptoms. It is possible to confirm the diagnosis with a blood test.

See the related link (below) for an excellent article about hypothyroidism.

Answer 2

You must see your doctor - your doctor can do a physical check plus a blood test can tell.

Common symptoms include unexplained fatigue, intolerance to cold, poor appetite, constipation, coarse hair and skin, weight gain/retention, and depression. The condition is often misdiagnosed because of the fact that these symptoms are very common as separate conditions. However hypothyroidism is a fairly common condition and TSH levels should be checked if classic symptoms are present.

Answer 3

I suffer from hypothriodism and I never knew that I had it. But, if you gain weight, lack energy, can't stay awake and lose your desire for sex you have hypothyroidism. Or if you have a large weight loss you would be hyper

Answer 4

Your doctor does a test and tells you -

Thyroid problems are often hard to diagnose - a person can have all the symptoms of hyper (high) or hypo (low) thyroid with normal lab values -

I would recommend seeing a Endocrinologist - they are in the best position to diagnose or rule out Thyroid Disease and they may not only use the numbers on a piece of paper (serum lab values) to do so.

Answer 5

a thyroid function blood test will tell you if you have a thyroid condition,you should see you doctor if you have symptoms which include: weigh gain,lack of energy,hair loss,oily tears you could have hypothyroidism,which is an underactive thyroid,i was diagnosed with this 10 years ago,i take thyroid replacement pills daily and will do for the rest of my days,i was under the care of an endocrinologist and was discharged 8 years ago. now so long as i take my meds daily and have a blood test twice a year I'm fine,my weigh regulated soon after treatment and i have had three healthy children who,thank God are free of metabolic disease

Answer 6

Swelling of the thyroid or glands in the neck, (beneath the Adam's Apple)- nodules on the thyroid gland significant weight gain or weight loss in a short amont of time, unexplained sweating or chills; not from a fever. Low basal body temperature.

TSH, T3, T4 problems. Dry skin, alopecia of head, eyebrows, eyelashes. Inability to adapt to changing temperatures. Increase or decrease in hunger. Changes in bowel functions. Lethargy or hyperactivity; exopthalmous (from Grave's disease), goiter.

The thyroid controls all the endocrine functions in one way or another.

Answer 7

First, a doctor checks for a thyroid condition through patient history. If you have a family member with a thyroid condition this will be a red flag because thyroid conditions do run in families.

Second, a doctor will check for thyroid disease is by doing a neck check. They will ask you to tilt your neck back, swallow, and in the process they will look and feel for any abnormalities in your neck area.

Another way to check for a thyroid condition is through a thyroid blood test.

Answer 8

The best way to determine if your thyroid isn't functioning properly is to consult your doctor. Let them know if you are experiencing any symptoms of a thyroid condition, as well as if you have a family history of thyroid conditions. Ask them to check your thyroid hormone levels, and hopefully they will also do a neck check; to feel for any abnormalities or enlargements in your neck/thyroid area.

Answer 9

A blood test is usually required to make that determination because the signs of thyroid problems can be numerous and often lead to a misdiagnosis. Some of the signs of a thryoid problem include weight loss, sensitivity to cold temps, skin problems, depression, headaches, joint pain, chronic fatigue, and irritable bowel syndrome just to name a few. If you feel you may have a thryoid problem you should see your doctor immediately.