FAQ: What are the symptoms of hypothyroidism?

Question: I am a 35 year old woman who is moderately active.  I eat pretty healthy (for the most part), although I do enjoy some dessert or an alcoholic beverage on occasion.   The problem is that I have gained about 30 pounds over the last 5 years and I have no idea where the weight has come from!  I do not eat any different than I used to.  Could my thyroid be slowing down?  Besides weight gain, what are symptoms of hypothyroidism?

Answer: Here is a detailed list of symptoms that usually accompany hypothyroidism and (sometimes) subclinical hypothyroidism:

1. Poor muscle tone:  If your muscles used to have adequate definition and now they are somewhat flat and “mushy” when you touch them.
2. Fatigue:  Have you noticed a noticeable decrease in energy levels and motivation?
3. Menstrual Problems:  Are your periods regular or are they sporadic… A menstrual cycle should be in the 20 to 30 day range.
4. Sensitivity to cold:  Are you cold when everyone else in the room is hot?  Do you often need a sweater or a coat when everyone else is in short sleeve shirts and shorts?
5. Constipation:  A healthy bowel movement is AT LEAST once per day.  Not having a bowel movement at least once per day can often be the result of not having enough fiber in your diet, and may not necessary be a sign of subclinical hypothyroidism.
6. Depression:  When the thyroid hormones in your body are out of balance, it can also throw many of your other hormones into a tailspin, causing depressed feelings and sadness.  Unfortunately with this particular symptom, depression itself can cause many of the symptoms on this list.
7. Joint pain:  Although there is typically more joint pain (especially when first getting out of bed in the morning) as you get older.  But, this should go away as you begin to move around during the day.  If joint pain continues throughout the day, it may be symptom of a slow thyroid.
8. Muscle cramps:  This is similar to joint pain.  Having a few light muscle cramps in the morning is natural.  The body  has been almost completely inactive for 6 to 8 hours.  A small cramp here or there is natural, especially when we hit our 30′s.
9. Brittle Fingernails or Nails that Break Easily:  Some people naturally have thicker nails.  Other people have thinner, more brittle nails.  However, when talking about a symptom of hypothyroidism, if your fingernails used to be happy and healthy but are now thin and brittle it may be sign of a major hormonal shift in the body.
10. Course Hair:  If you hair used to be healthy, shiny, smooth and silky, but now it’s “wiry” or course it could be a sign that your hormones are out of balance due to decreased thyroid hormones or imbalanced hormones.  It could also mean, however, that you are malnourished in some way too.  Smokers also tend to have (in many cases) hair that is course.
11. Itchy and Dry Skin:  This symptom, by itself, could be caused by anything from inadequate water intake to an allergic reaction.  To ensure that this is an actual symptom of hypothyroidism (or any other disorder for that matter), try increasing your water intake while taking an antihistamine for a few days.
12. Weight gain:  You had already mentioned weight gain, so you already know that this is a symptom of subclinical hypothyroidism.  This is usually the symptom that alarms people the most, as we (as a society) tend to focus more on outside appearances than what is actually going on inside our bodies.  Weight gain, however, can be caused by many factors and not exclusive to people suffering from the various stages of hypothyroidism.

Unfortunately, there is no cut and dried method of determining if you have subclinical hypothyroidism without getting a blood test to check your TSH levels.  Although the symptoms hypothyroidism are easy to list off, it’s possible to have subclinical hypothyroidism without experiencing any of these symptoms.  Then again, you could have some of these symptoms along with perfectly normal levels of T3 and T4 thyroid hormones.

In another article, I will be discussing these symptoms from the perspective of alleviating them… even if they are caused by hypothyroidism or subclinical hypothyroidism.