Are you feeling low and more tired than normal? Or perhaps you’re putting on weight for no obvious reason, and your skin has become very dry. These symptoms could mean you have a condition called underactive thyroid, also known as hypothyroidism.
Are you feeling low and more tired than normal? Or perhaps you’re putting on weight for no obvious reason, and your skin has become very dry. These symptoms could mean you have a condition called underactive thyroid, also known as hypothyroidism.
You’re more likely to get it if you’re a woman. In the UK, for example, research suggests it affects about 15 in every 1,000 women – compared with just 1 in 1,000 men.
The symptoms of an underactive thyroid can be frustrating, especially if they start to affect your wellbeing and social life. Maybe you can’t fit into your favourite clothes anymore, or you don't feel up to enjoying a night out with friends. You might also be struggling to sleep at night, because you’re having to take daytime naps just to feel more energised.
We don’t want having an underactive thyroid to stop you living your life. So here’s everything you need to know about the condition, including the signs to look out for, and what you and your doctor can do about it.
Having an underactive thyroid means that the thyroid gland in your neck isn’t making and releasing enough thyroid hormones into your bloodstream. This is opposite of an
(hyperthyroidism), when your thyroid gland makes too much of these hormones.Your thyroid hormones help to control your body’s metabolism, affecting everything from how you use energy to your breathing rate and the way your heart beats. So without enough of these hormones to go around, many of your bodily functions begin to slow down. This is why you can put on weight, because your body is burning fewer calories than normal.
If an underactive thyroid isn’t treated, it may lead to other health issues over time. But most of the time, it’s diagnosed before it becomes severe, and can be easily treated.
Read more about your
.Find useful information on other areas of thyroid health with our .
While anyone can develop an underactive thyroid, some factors make it more likely.
As well as being more common in women, you may be more at risk of an underactive thyroid if:
Your thyroid is also more likely to be underactive if you have certain health problems, including:
Underactive thyroid symptoms can develop slowly, and you may not notice them at first. Common symptoms include:
Remember that lots of these symptoms can also be signs of other conditions – they may not mean you have an underactive thyroid. So it’s important to
.If you’re worried about your symptoms but you’re not sure if you need to see a doctor, try using our
to help you work out your best next step.Having an underactive thyroid causes an imbalance of hormones, which can affect you differently if you’re a woman, especially if it’s not treated early.
As well as the symptoms listed above, other symptoms may include:
There are several reasons why your thyroid might stop making enough hormones.
The most common causes of an underactive thyroid are:
Other causes include:
If an underactive thyroid goes untreated for a long time, it can lead to other health problems. These can include:
The symptoms of an underactive thyroid can have a big impact on your daily life, which can be frustrating and make you feel low.
“Going through the process of working out what might be wrong, then adjusting to having a long-term condition and taking medicine, can be a big challenge,” agrees Dr Adiele Hoffman, Healthily Clinical Content Reviewer. “But support from your doctor and specialist charities can help you find ways to reset that work for you.”
You should always speak to your doctor if you think you have a thyroid problem, because medical treatment is the key way to get your symptoms sorted.
Good self-care and other coping strategies can also help – read our tips for
.If you’re struggling with getting a diagnosis or managing your symptoms, remember that help and support is available from charities and online groups, including:
If you have symptoms of an underactive thyroid, or you notice a lump in your neck, speak to a doctor as soon as you can.
They can help you get the right diagnosis – even if it’s not an underactive thyroid – and work out the best treatment for you.
Before you see your doctor, it’s worth doing a bit of preparation to help you get the right diagnosis.
In the week before your appointment, try:
Common tests used to diagnose an underactive thyroid include:
Learn more about these
.“People with thyroid problems often have a long list of symptoms, because the thyroid gland is important for so many different bodily processes,” says Dr Hoffman. “It can be hard to address all these at once, and work out what’s going on in just 1 appointment. So if you don’t get to the bottom of your symptoms the first time you see a doctor, don't be put off or disheartened. See them again, and be reassured that they’ll work with you to figure out your symptoms. It could be that you’ll get an overall diagnosis such as underactive thyroid – or it’s also possible that there could be several different things going on.”
If you have an underactive thyroid, you’ll need medication from your doctor to increase your levels of thyroid hormones. This is usually a tablet called levothyroxine, which you’ll need to take every day. Read more about
. can also be helpful, when used alongside medication.The good news is that once it’s diagnosed, an underactive thyroid is a manageable condition.
While the medication isn’t a cure, it will bring your levels of thyroid hormones back to normal, which should ease your symptoms.
You’ll probably need to take medication for the rest of your life. Your thyroid hormone levels will be monitored regularly with blood tests, and your dose might change over time.
In rare cases, an underactive thyroid that’s severe and left untreated can lead to a potentially life-threatening condition called myxoedema. It’s very uncommon these days, due to access to effective treatment. But you should call an ambulance if you have these symptoms:
“Subclinical hypothyroidism is sometimes known as ‘mild thyroid failure’. It doesn’t always cause symptoms, so may only be found during routine blood tests. It’s diagnosed if
show that your levels of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) arehigh, but your thyroid hormones are still normal. It means your pituitary gland is working a bit harder to keep your thyroid hormone levels normal, and you could have a higher risk of developing an underactive thyroid in the future. Your doctor may recommend testing your TSH levels again in 3 months. If they're still abnormal, whether you need treatment will depend on several things, including how high your TSH levels are, your age, and whether you have any symptoms. In some cases, your doctor may just want to keep an eye on your thyroid hormones by doing blood tests around once a year or every 2-3 years.”“It’s more common for people with an overactive thyroid to develop an underactive thyroid. This can be caused by overactive thyroid treatment – such as radioactive iodine – or as part of thyroiditis, which often has an overactive phase before an underactive phase. It’s very rare for an underactive thyroid to switch to an overactive thyroid, although it is possible.”
Important: Our website provides useful information but is not a substitute for medical advice. You should always seek the advice of your doctor when making decisions about your health.