Thyroid Basics for Women
Underactive and overactive thyroid in plain words, a symptom checklist, the tests to ask about and how to live with treatment.
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By Whole Life HQ4 parts · about 4,400 words · printable · read online
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OpenWho it's for
Women with tiredness, mood, weight, hair or period changes who wonder about the thyroid, or who have a thyroid diagnosis and want to understand tests and treatment.
What you receive
- 4-part guide to the thyroid
- Underactive and overactive thyroid, with a symptom checklist
- The tests to ask about and how to read a result
- Living with treatment, a medicine routine tracker and a follow-up planner
4 printable pages, in reading order
- Part 1: What the thyroid does, in plain English
- Part 2: Symptoms and tests
- Part 3: Living with treatment
- Part 4: The doctor visit and your 6-month planner
See inside
The first 4 pages, as they print.
Look inside
The first page, word for word. 4 printable pages in total.
Part 1: What the thyroid does, in plain English
Thyroid problems are common in women, and they are easy to miss. The symptoms are vague, they overlap with many other things, and they can build slowly over years. This guide explains what the thyroid is, what can go wrong, how it is tested, how treatment works in general, and what to ask your doctor. It is education, not medical advice. Your own clinician needs to guide your care, because thyroid conditions look different in each person.
The basics
The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland at the front of your neck, just below the Adam's apple area. You usually cannot see or feel it when it is healthy.
Its job is to make thyroid hormones. These hormones travel in your blood and help set the pace of your body. Think of them as a dial for your body's energy use. They influence:
- How fast your heart beats
- How your body uses and makes energy
- Skin, hair and nails
- Periods and fertility
The thyroid does not act alone. A small gland in your brain, the pituitary, checks the level of thyroid hormone in your blood. If the level is low, it sends out more of a signal called thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) to tell the thyroid to work harder. If the level is high, it sends out less. This feedback loop is why a TSH blood test is the usual first step in checking the thyroid. We cover tests in Part 2.
What is in each part
- What the thyroid does, in plain English
- Symptoms and tests
- Living with treatment
- The doctor visit and your 6-month planner
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Downloads included
4 printable pages: see the list
- Part 1: What the thyroid does, in plain English
- Part 2: Symptoms and tests
- Part 3: Living with treatment
- Part 4: The doctor visit and your 6-month planner
They open in your library, and you can print them, once they are yours.
Who wrote it
Written by the Whole Life HQ team.
Not yet reviewed by an outside expert.
We plan to ask a women's health clinician to review it. Until then it is general information, not professional advice.
General information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor before changing your exercise, eating or sleep, or if something worries you. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide and Crisis Lifeline). In an emergency call 911.
How you get it
- In your libraryAfter you pay, it is in your library straight away.
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