• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Questions? Call 1-800-448-4919 M-F 9AM-6PM EST
  • Search
  • My Account
  • Cart
Women's Health Network

Women's Health Network

Making it easier for women of every age to find their way to health

  • Quizzes
    • Symptom Checker
    • Adrenal Stress & Fatigue
    • Bone Health
    • Brain Health
    • Digestive Health
    • Memory & Focus
    • Menopause & Perimenopause
    • PMS
    • Thyroid & Hypothyroid
    • Weight Loss
  • Symptoms
  • Conditions
    • Adrenal stress and fatigue
    • Blood sugar
    • Bone health
    • Breast health
    • Brain health and memory
    • Detoxification
    • Digestive health
    • Fatigue & insomnia
    • Fertility
    • Heart health
    • Hormonal imbalance
    • HRT
    • Inflammation
    • Joint health
    • Menopause & perimenopause
    • Nutrition
    • PMS and menstruation
    • Sexual health
    • Thyroid health
    • Weight loss
    • Health conditions
  • Shop
    • Products A to Z
    • Cost-Saving Combos
    • Programs – Upgrade & Save
    • Adrenal Stress & Fatigue
    • Bone Health
    • Brain Health
    • Daily Wellness
    • Digestive Health
    • Emotional Wellness
    • Immune Support
    • Menopause & Perimenopause
    • PMS Relief
    • Sex & Fertility
    • Sleep Support
    • Thyroid Health
    • Weight Loss
  • About Us
Women's Health Network
  • Questions? Call 1-800-448-4919 M-F 9AM-6PM EST
  • Search
  • My Account
  • Cart
  • Quizzes
    • Symptom Checker
    • Adrenal Stress & Fatigue
    • Bone Health
    • Brain Health
    • Digestive Health
    • Memory & Focus
    • Menopause & Perimenopause
    • PMS
    • Thyroid & Hypothyroid
    • Weight Loss
  • Symptoms
  • Conditions
    • Adrenal stress and fatigue
    • Blood sugar
    • Bone health
    • Breast health
    • Brain health and memory
    • Detoxification
    • Digestive health
    • Fatigue & insomnia
    • Fertility
    • Heart health
    • Hormonal imbalance
    • HRT
    • Inflammation
    • Joint health
    • Menopause & perimenopause
    • Nutrition
    • PMS and menstruation
    • Sexual health
    • Thyroid health
    • Weight loss
    • Health conditions
  • Shop
    • Products A to Z
    • Cost-Saving Combos
    • Programs – Upgrade & Save
    • Adrenal Stress & Fatigue
    • Bone Health
    • Brain Health
    • Daily Wellness
    • Digestive Health
    • Emotional Wellness
    • Immune Support
    • Menopause & Perimenopause
    • PMS Relief
    • Sex & Fertility
    • Sleep Support
    • Thyroid Health
    • Weight Loss
  • About Us
Home / Thyroid health / 7 Common low thyroid symptoms in women

7 Common low thyroid symptoms in women

Author Name
Reviewed by Dr. Mary James, ND

woman with low thyroid related fatigue

If you think you might have low thyroid function, we’ve got good news and bad news. The bad news: at least 15 million Americans have undiagnosed thyroid disease — mostly subclinical hypothyroidism, or underactive thyroid — and many of them are women.

What’s more, conventional medical tests aren’t great at diagnosing a thyroid issue until it becomes severe enough for medication. The good news here: your symptoms may be a much more accurate measure than the standard thyroid medical tests. They can also motivate you to make the simple changes that will restore healthy thyroid function so you feel better and more energized.

Low thyroid symptoms

Women who suffer from one common thyroid symptom are often experiencing 3-4 lesser known symptoms, including:

  • Yellowing of palms and soles of feet
  • Joint and muscle pain
  • Depression or melancholy
  • Digestive issues
  • PMS, menstrual irregularities
  • Hoarseness
  • Bruising/clotting problems
  • Elevated levels of LDL (“bad” cholesterol)
  • Allergies that suddenly appear or get worse
  • Persistent cold sores, boils or breakouts
  • Tingling sensation in wrists/hands that mimics carpal tunnel syndrome
  • Memory loss, fuzzy thinking
  • Slowness or slurring of speech
  • Appearance of a goiter

Low or sluggish thyroid function shares symptoms with many other endocrine disorders and imbalances. Finding patterns in common symptoms — along with a few of the lesser known ones shown in the box at right — will help confirm if your thyroid is the root cause.

7 common symptoms of low thyroid function:

1. Severe fatigue, loss of energy: If you suffer from a thyroid issue, you may feel very fatigued and sleep more than average — but even then you don’t feel rested or have renewed energy.

2. Weight gain, difficulty losing weight: When your thyroid slows down — even a bit — so does your metabolism. That’s why unusual and unexplained weight gain and changes to body shape can be the first noticeable symptoms.

3. Dry skin, brittle fingernails: New wrinkles, dry, cracked or itchy skin patches, and weak nails can be signs of imbalance in your thyroid hormones.

4. Brittle hair, itchy scalp, hair loss: Your thyroid plays a key role in your hair’s growing and resting cycle. Without proper thyroid function, too many hair follicles stay in the “resting” phase rather than growing actively. In addition to brittle hair, thinning hair or hair loss, thyroid issues can also cause premature graying of the hair.

5. More sensitivity to cold, lower body temperature. Always feeling chilly is a telltale sign of a problem with your thyroid hormones, which strongly influence body temperature.

6. Diminished sex drive: Imbalances in your thyroid can affect your reproductive hormones, and lead to lower levels of desire.

7. Puffiness in face and extremities: Another revealing symptom of hypothyroidism is puffiness in the face, most often around the eyes.

Your thyroid gland is one of the centers of your endocrine system, influencing how other important hormones are used. That’s why an underactive thyroid can affect so many functions throughout your body — and lead to such a wide range of weird and unpleasant symptoms.

woman with enough energy to enjoy being outside

Is your body asking for help with your thyroid?

If you suspect you have a thyroid issue, we encourage you to tune into your body now because it’s telling you to pay attention. Waiting for your symptoms to get worse has the strong potential of leading to hypothyroidism and a lifelong prescription to thyroid medication. We always recommend starting with the most effective, natural approach available.

In working with thousands of women, we’ve found that targeted plant-based therapy, vitamins and minerals, and simple dietary and lifestyle adjustments will usually resolve the root cause of all your symptoms, not just a select few.

If you’re not sure what’s causing your symptoms, we encourage you to take our quick Thyroid Health Quiz now. It will help you understand how thyroid symptoms may be affecting, or even altering, your life. You’ll also find personalized recommendations for taking action to feel better. It’s a win-win!

References

American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. AACE Thyroid Awareness. AACE Web site. http://www.thyroidawareness.com/. Accessed March 14, 2016.

Mayo Clinic. Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid). November 10, 2015. Mayo Clinic Web site. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hypothyroidism/symptoms-causes/dxc-20155382. Accessed March 14, 2016.

Published October 6, 2013 - Last Updated October 18, 2018Filed Under: Thyroid health

Primary Sidebar

Essential reading on thyroid health

  • Hypothyroidism and thyroid health
  • How does the thyroid work?
  • Five steps for natural thyroid symptom relief
  • 7 Common low thyroid symptoms in women
  • What to eat to support your thyroid
  • Stop thyroid weight gain and get your body back
  • Hyperthyroidism — overactive thyroid

The latest on thyroid health

A cookie recipe your thyroid will love

Why your doctor is wrong about thyroid testing

Muscle and joint pain from hypothyroidism

Are irregular periods a sign of thyroid problems?

The surprising role of progesterone for your thyroid function

3 yoga techniques for thyroid health

See all articles on thyroid health

Women’s Health Network is not affiliated with the National Women's Health Network (www.nwhn.org)

Questions?

We are available M-F 9am-6pm EST
Call us at: 1-800-448-4919

Footer

Shop

  • Menopause & perimenopause
  • PMS
  • Adrenal health
  • Thyroid health
  • Bone health
  • Weight loss
  • My Account

Conditions

  • Adrenal stress and fatigue
  • Blood Sugar
  • Bone health
  • Brain health and memory
  • Breast health
  • Detoxification
  • Digestive health
  • Fatigue & insomnia
  • Fertility
  • Heart Health
  • Hormonal imbalance
  • HRT
  • Inflammation
  • Menopause & perimenopause
  • Nutrition
  • PMS & menstruation
  • Sexual health
  • Thyroid health
  • Weight loss
  • All conditions

Quizzes

  • Symptom Checker
  • Adrenal Stress & Fatigue
  • Bone Health
  • Brain Health
  • Digestive Health
  • Memory & Focus
  • Menopause & Perimenopause
  • PMS
  • Thyroid & Hypothyroid
  • Weight Loss

Your Health

  • Symptoms

About Us

  • Newsletter sign up
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy policy
  • Return policy
  • International
  • Terms of use
  • 100% guarantee
  • About us
100% Money Back Guarantee SSL Verified by Comodo BBB A+ Rating

© 2021 Women's Health Network