Important Thyroid Labs
The thyroid gland is a small butterfly-shaped gland in your throat, just behind your Adam’s apple. It is part of the endocrine system. The thyroid gland regulates body temperature, hunger levels, and energy. Issues with your thyroid gland can impact nearly every system of your body! According to the American Thyroid Association (ATA) (2023), an estimated 20 million Americans have some form of thyroid disease, and up to 60 percent are unaware of their condition. Women are 5-8 times more likely to have thyroid issues than men, and 1 in 8 women will develop a thyroid disorder in their lifetime (ATA, 2023). Furthermore, undiagnosed thyroid disease can lead to complications such as cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and infertility/miscarriage (ATA, 2023).
Symptoms of thyroid dysfunction vary depending on if you have an under or over-active thyroid. Underactive thyroid, or hypothyroidism, can lead to symptoms such as fatigue, dry/brittle hair, feeling cold, depression, constipation, low motivation, weight gain, and brain fog. Overactive thyroid, or hyperthyroidism, can demonstrate anxiety, heart palpitations, difficulty sleeping, weight loss, and multiple bowel movements. Due to complications that can result in untreated thyroid issues, it is essential to get labs for thyroid health screening. The ATA recommends thyroid screening every five years beginning at age 35, or more frequent for high-risk individuals (2023).
Traditional labs for thyroid screening include thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and thyroxine (T4) (ATA, 2023). Functional-based labs for the thyroid include TSH, T4, plus free T4 (FT4), tri-iodothyronine (T3), reverse T3 (RT3), and thyroid antibodies (thyroid peroxidase antibody and thyroglobulin antibody). If you are having symptoms of thyroid dysfunction, speak to your provider about lab screening. If you are still having thyroid symptoms even after “normal” lab values, consider meeting with a functional medicine provider to discuss lifestyle measures to support a healthy thyroid.
References
American Thyroid Association (ATA). 2023. https://www.thyroid.org/media-main/press-room