Thyroid disease symptoms and hypothyroidism symptoms afflict millions of adults in the USA alone. Thyroid disease symptoms are frequently misdiagnosed or undiagnosed. Approximately 10-20% of women and 1-2% of men have symptoms of thyroid problems. The most common type of thyroid dysfunction is the condition hypothyroidism, also called low thyroid or underactive thyroid.

When thyroid function slows too much, one of the consequences is that metabolism in the body slows down more than it should. When the body's metabolism slows down due to underactive thyroid function, the result can be hypothyroidism symptoms such as fatigue, weight gain and depression. And other thyroid symptoms may be experienced as well, and these other symptoms may appear to be unrelated.

The most common thyroid disease symptoms and hypothyroidism symptoms include:

" Cold intolerance, cold hands and feet
" Constipation
" Depression
" Dry and coarse skin
" Fatigue and weakness
" Forgetfulness, dementia
" Hair loss
" Heavy menstrual periods
" High cholesterol
" Immune system problems
" Nervousness, tremors
" Sleep difficulties
" Weight gain

Having hypothyroidism symptoms is related to hormone imbalance. For a woman, three of the critical hormones are estrogen, thyroid hormone and progesterone. Understanding how these hormones work together helps one better understand how to approach treating thyroid disease symptoms.

Harvard-trained Dr. John R. Lee, women's physician Dr. Jesse Hanley and Virginia Hopkins are co-authors of the best-seller What Your Doctor May NOT Tell You About Premenopause. Dr. Lee explains his observations over a twenty-year period when treating women having thyroid disease symptoms. Dr. Lee believed that elevated levels of estrogen interfere with normal thyroid function, while progesterone facilitates healthy thyroid function. As excess estrogen interferes with normal thyroid hormone function, progesterone helps the thyroid gland function more as it is supposed to.

He noticed that women who tested normal for thyroid function were often progesterone deficient. Dr. Lee found a clear pattern in his patients with a progesterone deficiency which was this -- their thyroid disease symptoms lessened when natural progesterone supplementation was done and hormone balance was achieved.

Read more about hormone imbalance, how progesterone deficiency happens and how to have balanced hormones for better health. There is a free online womens hormone health test you can take to find out more about your health and symptoms you may be experiencing. After the test, you will receive physician-based recommendations based on your answers. If you feel you may have thyroid disease symptoms, learn more about the natural approaches recommended by naturopathic physicians for treating hypothyroidism symptoms.

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