How to Diagnose Common Thyroid Symptoms and Treat Thyroid Disease

More than one-quarter of women in perimenopause are diagnosed with hypothyroidism, in which insufficient amounts of thyroid hormones are produced. Thyroid hormones2 are used by every cell of your body, which is why the symptoms can vary so widely. For example, thyroid hormones regulate metabolism and body weight by controlling the burning of fat for energy and heat. Thyroid hormones are also required for growth and development in children. They signal the production of virtually all growth factors in your body, including: Somatomedins (skeletal tissue growth) Erythropoietin (involved in the development of red blood cells) Nerve growth factor Epidermal growth factor In pregnant women, thyroid hormone is also involved in the production of prolactin, a hormone responsible for milk production. Poor thyroid function has been linked to a wide array of serious health conditions,3 from fibromyalgia and irritable bowel syndrome, to infertility, autoimmune diseases, and thyroid cancer.4 This is why it's so important to understand how your thyroid works and what can cause it to dysfunction.