The thyroid gland is an important endocrine
gland. It is an important hormone regulator. By releasing a steady amount of
thyroid hormones into the bloodstream, the gland regulates many bodily functions such as
metabolism and helps in the growth and development of the human body.

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The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped organ
that is located in front of our neck. It secretes important hormones such as
triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4), it helps regulate vital functions
such as weight loss, metabolism, energy levels, and maintaining your skin, hair
health as well or even affect your body temperature. The thyroid-stimulating
hormone (TSH) instructs the thyroid to produce more T3 and T4 levels.

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Thyroid disorder can be caused due to any
rise or fall in the secretion of these important hormones which can lead to an
overactive or underactive function.

The thyroid is a crucial organ and impacts
every other organ in the body, so fluctuations in hormonal levels can show
several symptoms, which can be very intense in women. It requires further
testing for TSH, T3, and T4 levels to know whether you are suffering from
hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid) or hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid).

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Here are some common symptoms to be particularly careful of:

Menstrual irregularities and changes

Disrupted thyroid levels can cause a lot of
periodic changes and affect the regular menstrual flow, as the thyroid directly
controls your reproductive system. Thyroid hormone levels can make periods
lighter, heavy, or scanty. In women over the age of 35, it could make periods
cease for a long time, or bring menopause early. Hence, any changes should be
attended to at the earliest.

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Anxiety, nervousness, palpitations, and brain
fog

Women suffering from thyroid can be at a
higher risk of facing anxiety issues, nervousness, tremors, irritability,
intense mood swings as well as brain fog. Memory loss decreased concentration
levels, and render energy loss in performing day-to-day activities and routines
could be the symptoms of hypothyroidism.

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Difficulty falling sleeping, fatigue, and
weakness

An underlying thyroid issue could impact your
sleep cycle and cause irregular and chronic fatigue. It can make you feel dizzy
and sleep in the daytime as well. An overactive, high-functional thyroid can
cause mood swings, tiredness, and muscle weakness, which affects your
goodnight’s sleep.

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An underactive thyroid can also lead to poor
quality sleep, delayed or prolonged sleep onset, and overall shorter sleep
duration. It could lead to a metabolic slowdown and make you feel tired and
lethargic on the regular basis.

Thyroid disorder could also cause heart
palpitations, muscle weakness, and tremors along with weakness and fatigue.
Other related symptoms could be night sweats and frequent urination.

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Pigmentation, darkening of skin folds
around the neck

As the thyroid organ is responsible for
maintaining good skin, darkening of the skin around your neck is one of the
early symptoms of thyroid disorder. According to the researches, the darkening
of skin folds around the neck is usually caused by hormonal flare-ups. It is
more common when the thyroid is acting up. This is one sign which women and men
are often asked to be on the lookout for, and get tested if needed.

A disruption of T3 and T4 levels could
also cause problems such as dry skin, itchy scalp, oily skin, or cause
brittleness in the nails.

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An abrupt change in your weight

Thyroid levels impact your overall
metabolic function and help in maintaining your weight. If you have experienced
abrupt or unexplained changes in your weight, it is recommended that you should
get your thyroid checked. While underactive thyroid could lead to weight gain,
an overactive thyroid could make you lose weight abruptly. Weight change is one
of the most common symptoms observed in women.