The thyroid gland is a small gland located in your neck, which basically affects every function of your body. Therefore, it is not surprising that there will be some problems when the thyroid gland suddenly secretes insufficiently (hypothyroidism) or secretes excessively (hyperthyroidism).

The most annoying thing is that the symptoms of thyroid disease reflect many other problems.

"Thyroid diseases may not be diagnosed for a long time," said valentina Rodriguez, MD, an endocrinologist at the University of new york Langone Health Center. "Symptoms vary from person to person, and may appear suddenly or gradually, so it is difficult to detect."

Nevertheless, you still need to pay attention to any symptoms you experience, because thyroid diseases are more common in women. According to the data of American Thyroid Association (ATA), one in every eight women will develop thyroid diseases in their lifetime, and the possibility of women suffering from thyroid diseases is five to eight times that of men. Studies show that 10% to 20% of women in their thirties have thyroid diseases.

Untreated thyroid diseases will have a serious impact on your other organs, especially your heart.

The following are common symptoms of thyroid dysfunction, which you should know:

Hypothyroidism will slow down all your body functions, including metabolism. "Your body is basically told to brake on everything." "Therefore, many women will gain weight."

If you have hyperthyroidism, the opposite may happen. Hyperthyroidism may lead to unexplained weight loss. Many women are unwilling to receive hyperthyroidism treatment because they think losing weight is a good thing. However, what they don't know is that if hyperthyroidism is not treated for a long time, it will have a serious impact on the heart and eventually develop into thyroid heart disease.

Thyroid hormone provides energy for the heart and affects its beating speed. Hypothyroidism will slow down your heart rhythm, which will affect many other organs and body functions. In hyperthyroidism, the opposite is true-your heart rate is speeding up too much. Any situation may lead to heart failure, especially if the heart rate is accelerated for a long time, then the peripheral blood pressure will increase and the resistance will increase, which will further lead to an increase in blood pressure.

Intestinal peristalsis slows down due to hypothyroidism, which will lead to constipation for a long time, especially in women. However, hyperthyroidism, on the other hand, is prone to diarrhea and increased defecation times due to accelerated intestinal peristalsis.

Due to the lack of energy provided by hypothyroidism to the body, the overall function of the body is in a state of "idle machine". This may mean that a whole day's work will make you exhausted, or the exercise you used to like is too tired now. This feeling of fatigue can also lead to hypothyroidism and weight gain.

Hyperthyroidism can also lead to fatigue; Because the body is in high metabolism for a long time due to high thyroid hormone, there will be a state of speeding, and over time, the human body will be tired; Therefore, patients with hyperthyroidism should rest more.

5. Emotional changes.

Hypothyroidism will affect brain function and greatly affect mood. Depression is a common symptom of many hypothyroid women. Because depression itself may lead to some symptoms of hypothyroidism, it is difficult to realize that it may be related to thyroid.

If you have hyperthyroidism, your mood may change in other ways. Both diseases may make you lose control psychologically and emotionally, so it may be helpful to seek mental health treatment and drug treatment.

Do you suddenly have more menstruation than usual? This may be a sign of hypothyroidism. Thyroid gland will also affect your cycle, so when there is a problem, you will usually see some obvious changes in menstrual period, such as increased menstrual flow and prolonged menstrual period. Hyperthyroidism may lead to the opposite result, or it may suddenly stop menstruating.

Hypothyroidism can cause your hair and skin to become very dry. If you suddenly find that your skin becomes very dry, or your hair is brittle and easily broken, it may be a sign of hypothyroidism. Both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism may lead to thinning hair.

In both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism, you may feel muscle aches, stiff joints and weakness, which will further make you tired and make you unwilling to exercise. If you haven't done hard exercise recently, you shouldn't feel weak and sore.

In fact, hypothyroidism can slow down the synapses of the brain and slow down the speed of brain function. You won't be able to think clearly, and you may feel foggy. This feeling of slowing down may also be accompanied by emotional changes and depression.

Graves' disease (an autoimmune disease leading to hyperthyroidism) may also cause some eye changes, and an obvious symptom is edema and prominent eyes. Dry eyes may be the same symptom of hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. If your eyes look dry, or your eyeballs are more obvious than normal people, it is recommended to see a doctor as soon as possible.

Are you often afraid of the cold? Being more afraid of cold than others may be a sign of hypothyroidism. Hyperthyroidism, on the other hand, you may be very sensitive to any heat and sweat much more than others seem.

Many women are surprised to find that losing part of their eyebrows (especially from the outer edge) is an obvious sign of hypothyroidism, and it is also accompanied by hair loss.

If you find that your eyebrows are thinning and you feel unwell, please don't go to the doctor as soon as possible because of age and stress.

If you suddenly find swelling and edema in the lower body (hips, knees, ankles and feet), it may be a sign of hypothyroidism or Grave's disease.

If you have been unable to get pregnant successfully, you may already feel stressed and focus only on infertility, so you may ignore the real reason. Thyroid disease may be a sign of potential problems of infertility. In addition, according to ATA, undiagnosed thyroid disease may be the cause of infertility, so please don't ignore thyroid disease.

To sum up, there are many symptoms of thyroid diseases, and there is no obvious specificity. If a female friend has the above symptoms, please remember to doubt whether there is something wrong with the thyroid gland, because there are too many thyroid diseases in women. Early detection and early treatment.